“You Make ANC Look Bad”: Helen Zille Pothole Snorkel Stunt Reportedly Forces City of Joburg To Act

• 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
• Helen Zille highlighted the infrastructure crisis by snorkelling in the dirty water during a visit to the site as part of her mayoral campaign
• The Johannesburg Roads Agency and Joburg Water worked together to install new pipes and drain the stagnant water that had remained for three years

The City of Johannesburg has finally moved to repair a notorious three-year-old pothole on Balder Road in Douglasdale following a high-profile solo protest.

Democratic Alliance mayoral candidate Helen Zille visited the site on 31 March 2026, where she famously donned snorkelling gear to swim in the massive, water-filled crater. This move was aimed at highlighting the severe infrastructure decay and persistent water leaks that have plagued the local community for over a thousand days despite numerous reports.

Read also

"I wonder if there are fish in here": Helen Zille swims in 3-year-old Johannesburg pothole

Johannesburg Water and the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) dispatched repair crews shortly after the video gained massive traction. The technical team focused on flushing out the stagnant water, fixing a long-standing pipe leak, and installing brand-new piping.

Infrastructure crisis remains a headache for Joburg

The City of Johannesburg recently allocated R149 million toward a major road resurfacing programme for the 2025/2026 financial year. This budget is intended to target the worst-affected arterial roads, but the backlog remains a significant challenge for officials. Many residents feel that the rapid response in Douglasdale was a PR exercise rather than a shift in city-wide policy.

See Zille's stunt here:

Mzansi reacts to the stunt

Briefly News compiled some comments from Zille’s stunt below.

Cindy Lubner commented:

“It would seem you have many lengths to swim to create the necessary change most needed. Congratulations on your first gold medal.“

Rashid Gaffoor said:

“Sies Helen, you are making the ANC look bad. From Billboards to swimming lessons. You are disturbing a loaf of bread distribution.“

Lindiwe Mkulisi wrote:

“Thank you, Helen. You have made history. Instead of fighting among ourselves, maybe we should just embarrass the opposition and let everybody know.”

Read also

"Ugliest thing on the road": Sighting of a cyber truck in Cape Town has SA divided

Kevin O'Connor highlighted:

“This lady makes her opponents seem so meaningless. All her posts show people how useless the present incumbents are.”

Jabulani Tax Practitioner Malindi said:

“If it took a viral stunt for the City to finally fix a three-year-old pothole, that says a lot. At least the repair is finally happening, but service delivery shouldn’t depend on publicity first.”

Jill Hagley wrote:

“It is not a pothole, but a sinkhole that has developed due to a burst pipe that has not been repaired in 3 years.”

More stories about Helen Zille

• Briefly News previously reported that Johannesburg's mayoral candidate, Helen Zille, swam in a pothole to highlight the city's infrastructure issues.
• The Democratic Alliance's Johannesburg mayoral candidate, Helen Zille, surprised South Africans when she vocalised her stance on illegal immigration.
• The Democratic Alliance's Helen Zille joined the ongoing protests in Johannesburg, blaming corruption for the ongoing water crisis.

Source: Briefly News