“This Was a Family Matter”: SA Cracks Jokes After Helen Zille’s Pothole Stunt Makes Canadian News

• After attracting local attention, Helen Zille's snorkelling in a Johannesburg pothole surprisingly garnered international attention
• The former Western Cape Premier's stunt featured on a Canadian news network, which shared the news on social media platforms
• Local reactions from members of the online community ranged from humour to scepticism about the authenticity of the pothole incident

Johannesburg's mayoral candidate, Helen Zille, made headlines when she decided to snorkel in a pothole to highlight the City of Johannesburg's alleged mismanagement over the past few years. While the 75-year-old's stunt got South Africans talking, it also got the attention of a Canadian news network, CTV News.

The North American network reshared the clip of Helen, which she uploaded on 30 March 2026, on their TikTok account, noting that she was attempting to draw attention to the many potholes in the city. The pothole that gained attention was located in Douglasdale, a residential suburb in Sandton.

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In the original clip, the Democratic Alliance federal chair joked that the three-year-old pothole, which resulted from a burst pipe, was one of Johannesburg's "many public facilities for swimming." She also stated that there were many attempts to fix the pipe, alleging that individuals would purposefully re-burst it when the opportunity to work overtime arose.

Watch the Canadian news report in the TikTok video below:

South Africa 'embarrassed' by international pothole news

Several South African social media users entered the comment section and pretended not to know who Helen was. Some people also joked that the clip was fake.

A stunned @ladyn0205 said:

"Haibo, I thought this was a family matter."

@roribby wrote with humour:

"We don’t know this lady, as a matter of fact, who is she?"

@lorinda_amelia told the Canadian news network:

"You guys have bigger news to worry about than ours."

A sceptical @user153862438 shared their opinion in the comment section, writing:

"That looks like it was dug up rather than being a pothole."

@thato_phasha added with laughter:

"I just know it was Helen who contacted them and asked them to cover this story."

A fan of the mayoral candidate remarked:

"Helen Zille is THE woman! Taking on all of Joburg! She will be the best mayor and president."

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3 Other stories about Helen Zille

• In another article, Briefly News reported that Helen went fishing in a ruined swimming pool in the City of Gold. The community facility quickly transformed into a place welcoming land invasion and illegal activities since security was removed in 2019.
• A social justice activist publicly dared Helen to swim in the raw sewage flooding the streets of the popular Cape Town township, Khayelitsha. The overflowing sewage left families unable to reach their homes and became a danger to children in the area.
• The South African politician defended her visit to Yeoville reservoir, which sparked criticism from the City of Johannesburg. South Africans weighed in on the City's threats and wondered why nobody was securing the area.

Source: Briefly News