A pipe that burst three years ago in Douglasdale was repaired within hours after Helen Zille made a video of herself swimming in the water caused by the leak. (Photo: Helen Zille/Facebook)
Social media videos of Helen Zille, the DA’s mayoral candidate for Johannesburg, and Dada Morero, the city’s mayor, spread like wildfire after a pipe that had burst for years in Douglasdale was suddenly repaired.
Zille made a video on Saturday in which she swims in the water hole created by the constant leakage. Residents said they had been reporting the problem for years, but that action was only taken after the video of Zille spread widely.
Dressed in a wetsuit, swimming cap, snorkel and goggles, Zille swam into the hole to show how big it really is.
According to Zille, residents could not get out of their driveways because of the water.
⛱️???? Just another day in the City of Johannesburg.
Let’s get Joburg working. Register to #VoteDA. Visit https://t.co/SzMWMxGkD8. pic.twitter.com/et8oAkQw8v
— DA Gauteng (@DAGauteng) March 30, 2026
By Sunday, Johannesburg Water was already on the scene in Douglasdale to repair the steel pipe and the work was completed the same evening.
On Tuesday, Morero made his own video at the same spot where the hole had already been filled. He said the pipe that burst was a steel pipe that had been giving continuous problems over the past three years.
He said in the video that children have already died from swimming in holes and near burst pipes.
“This is not a good example,” Morero said, adding that Zille could have stood next to the burst pipe and “continued with her political campaign”.
Morero said Johannesburg Water “responded quickly to the incident on Sunday and completed the repairs the same evening”.
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
“After monitoring the repair work, the ditch has been filled in again and crews are currently cleaning and repairing the area while ensuring safety,” said Morero.
The mayor also said that burst pipes should be reported immediately and that residents should not “stand on the sidelines” when it comes to service delivery problems.
Residents have repeatedly reported the problem in the past.