‘Not a good example’: Mayor tells Helen Zille not to swim in potholes
· The South African
Mayor of Johannesburg Dada Morero has sheepishly confirmed that repairs to a large pothole in Douglasdale – swam in by Helen Zille during a PR stunt – has commenced.
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Zille – who is the city’s mayoral candidate in the municipal elections later this year – made headlines after she took a dip in the pool of dirty water.
The pothole, culminated by a burst pipe and deteriorating roads, has received numerous complaints from residents over the past three years.
JOBURG MAYOR DADA MORERO CONFIRMS POTHOLE REPAIR
In a video posted on his X account, Joburg mayor Dada Morero visited the large pothole located on Balder Road in Douglasdale.
He confirmed that repairs began on Sunday evening, a day after Helen Zille visited the location.
Over the weekend, Zille was invited by local residents to a “pothole pool party”, which she eagerly took up. The 74-year-old was seen swimming and snorkelling in the murky, muddy water, exposing cit’s negligence and poor service delivery.
The video was posted on Monday, 30 March, to the embarrassment of the local government.
Morero confirmed: “This is fixed on Sunday, Sisi Helen”
The City of Johannesburg has taken swift action after Helen Zille’s viral pothole video. Zille has called out a lack of service delivery.Images via Facebook
Morero, who stood at the site of the pothole, which had now been filled, said in the clip: “Joburg Water responded. They’ve been doing work to fix and replace the steel pipe.
The hole had since been filled up and cordoned off, and municipal staff were “working diligently to clean up and restore normalcy while ensuring everyone’s safety.
The mayor confirmed that they were “aware” of complaints about the pothole from three years ago.
He encouraged residents to report burst pipes and potholes to the municipality via its app.
The burst in Douglasdale was triggered by a steel pipe that had repeatedly failed over the past three years. Johannesburg Water responded swiftly to the incident on Sunday, 29 March, completing repairs that very evening. Following careful monitoring of the leak repair, they… pic.twitter.com/e1kdVqRIpd
— Executive Mayor of the City Of Joburg (@DadaMorero) March 31, 2026
CONDEMNING HELEN ZILLE STUNT
In the clip, Dada Morero also warned residents against swimming in potholes, as Helen Zille did.
He said: “We have to request Mrs Zille not to swim where there’s a burst. Because the risk of that is that you are encouraging children in the townships to swim, where there is work being done at burst pipes. We’ve seen children die in the past.
“It is not a good example. She could have just stood next to the burst pipe and continued her political campaign”.
HELEN ZILLE VOWS TO FOLLOW UP
Meanwhile, Helen Zille has vowed to follow up on the City of Joburg’s pothole repairs.
When one social media user questioned whether the city had actually repaired the leak or just “patched up” the pothole, Zille responded: “We will go back to check the site and hold the city accountable if they don’t fulfil their commitment”.