Helen Zille, 75, a former leader of South Africa’s second-largest party and ex-mayor of Cape Town, went snorkeling in a water-filled trench on a Johannesburg suburban road as part of a stunt to draw attention to what she described as years of municipal mismanagement.
Wearing a wetsuit, snorkel, mask, and a pink-and-white swimming cap, Zille doggy-paddled through the muddy brown pool, which had persisted for around three years due to a burst water pipe that local authorities had not properly repaired despite repeated attempts.
In a video posted by Zille and widely broadcast by local television networks, she joked, “And here we are with a free and wonderful Saturday-afternoon snorkel,” adding, “I wonder if there are any fishes in here. Let me take a look,” before dipping her head into the water.
Johannesburg, South Africa’s wealthiest city in terms of private wealth, has struggled with failed local government coalitions and deteriorating infrastructure. Residents of the city, which has an estimated population of six million, frequently experience water and electricity cuts, broken roads, and unrepaired infrastructure.
Zille announced she will run in the upcoming local elections for mayor of Johannesburg, leveraging the stunt to highlight persistent civic issues.
The current mayor of Johannesburg later responded via X, explaining that the pothole was caused by a pipe “that had repeatedly failed over the past three years” and noting that it was repaired and filled in the day after Zille’s stunt on Saturday.
