“Please Tell Her”: Activist Dares Helen Zille to Swim in Khayelitsha Sewage Pools in TikTok Clip

• A social activist publicly dared DA chair Helen Zille to swim in the raw sewage flooding Khayelitsha streets on 1 April 2026
• In 2023, residents living near the Taliban and Dubai informal settlements reported the broken drains to the city multiple times with no results
• The overflowing sewage has left families unable to reach their own homes and exposed children living in the area to serious health risks
• Briefly News reached out to Lindi for comment, and she shared her thoughts on accountability, service delivery and why she posted the viral video

A social activist has thrown a bold challenge at DA council chair Helen Zille, daring her to take a dip in the raw sewage pools sitting in the streets of Khayelitsha.

Lindi, a TikToker with the handle @lindiforchange, called Zille out on 1 April 2026. She told her to bring her goggles and swimsuit because Khayelitsha has a “pool” ready for her.

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The challenge was aimed directly at Zille because of her long-standing defence of the City of Cape Town’s service delivery in the area. Lindi highlighted a 2023 report by GoundUp, where sewage from a broken drain has pooled along a busy road between the Taliban and Dubai informal settlements. The stench from the water has made it nearly impossible for residents to reach their own homes.

Residents say they have been ignored for years

According to the report, residents have reported the damaged drains to the City several times. The broken infrastructure in the informal settlements of Cape Town not only affects movement. Rubbish collection is also disrupted because cleaners cannot wade through the water to reach the waste trucks.

A problem that keeps coming back

The sewage crisis in Khayelitsha is not isolated to one street or one year. Raw sewage flooded homes in the Kanana informal settlement in October 2025 after a burst pipe displaced more than 300 people overnight. Residents of these communities say they are reportedly stuck in a loop of broken promises and reference numbers from the City.

Briefly News speaks to Lindi

Lindi told Briefly News that the video by Zille “raised a deeper question about accountability.” She added that she wanted to challenge leaders from the DA, which governs Cape Town, “to show the same urgency and visibility in addressing long-standing issues in communities like Khayelitsha.”

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She noted that despite the DA’s reputation for “best service delivery” and “clean audits,” many residents’ lived experiences tell a different story.

“There can be a gap between political messaging and the reality on the ground,” she said.

“Residents have been dealing with sewage overflows and sanitation failures for years, with many reports indicating that the issue has been consistently raised since at least 2023, if not earlier.”

See the TikTok clip below:

Mzansi reacts to the dare

Briefly News compiled some comments from the post below.

@Fardarterfu commented:

“So you think that potholes in an unplanned informal settlement are equivalent to decaying major infrastructure? Zille isn’t the problem here.”

@Konrad Beukes said:

“She was swimming in the middle of a road, and this does not look like a road to me, and at least we don't have dams within our roads in the Western Cape.”

@user7355008061008 noted:

“Don't talk down on our queen. Queen of all queens.”

@Farmer MP said:

“Please tell her. 😂”

@tsakanikhoza525 commented:

“😂Okay, we will be waiting for the update.”

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More articles involving Helen Zille

• Briefly News previously reported that Helen Zille traded her snorkel for a fishing rod and took on the City of Johannesburg just days after her pothole swim went viral.
• The City of Johannesburg reportedly dispatched repair machinery to Balder Road in Douglasdale after a long-standing water leak and pothole caused major community frustration.
• Johannesburg's mayoral candidate, Helen Zille, swam in a pothole to highlight the city's infrastructure issues.

Proofreading by Kelly Lippke, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.

Source: Briefly News