Residents of Douglasdale, northern Johannesburg, say they are relieved that a huge pothole and a water leak outside their homes have finally been attended to after three-and-a-half years — but question why it took a viral social media video to get a response from the city.
The pothole was in the news after DA Johannesburg mayoral candidate Helen Zille took a swim in it at the weekend.
Some residents asked why it took Zille’s publicity awareness stunt before the city moved to make the repairs.
Susan Mottram, who lives in the affected street, said the community had been reporting the issue to the City of Johannesburg for about three-and-a-half years.
“We have been reporting it. We’ve had direct e-mails to the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA), Johannesburg Water and the various ward councillors,” she said.
Residents repeatedly logged complaints, but the water leak was a common reoccurring issue.
The story went online on Wednesday. Helen [Zille] arrived out of the blue on Saturday. We were all excited and she swam in our little informal swimming pool. Sunday morning, the next day, JRA rocked up to fix it
— Susan Mottram, resident
“The last time they were here they repaired the water leak and filled the hole, and two weeks later it leaked again and opened again, and they have not come back. This was in October 2025.”
Mottram said the turning point came after a local publication ran a story last week and Zille unexpectedly visited the site on Saturday.
“The story went online on Wednesday. Helen arrived out of the blue on Saturday. We were all excited and she swam in our little informal swimming pool. Sunday morning, the next day, JRA rocked up to fix it.”
According to residents, municipal workers were on site throughout Sunday until late in the evening repairing the gaping hole. “They worked the whole day, and this closure has been done in the past 24 hours,” Mottram said.
Despite the repair work, some residents say they are cautiously hopeful rather than convinced the issue has been permanently resolved. “We’re hoping it’s fixed; they’ve still got to come and compact; they’ve got to fill these potholes,” Mottram said.
She added that the hole had posed a serious safety risk because it was located on a blind corner and the water leak worsened, creating more potholes on the road.
“We’re lucky there haven’t been accidents because people were always cautious when driving here; it’s been hectic.”
The matter was logged and then it was received by the city, and probably the city was dealing with ageing steel and asbestos water pipes in several parts of Johannesburg
— Dada Morero, Johannesburg mayor
Another resident, Debbie Kennedy, said the community had become used to the damaged road. “It’s been there for so long, you actually get used to it. Isn’t that a horrible thing to say?” she said.
Kennedy said the water leak had been repaired several times over the years. “I counted the clamps and there were eight. So that means they’ve been back eight times to come to fix the hole.”
She added that residents also faced frequent electricity outages. “We had 22 hours, and then the week after that we had 19 hours. So it comes and goes all the time.”
Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero visited the site on Tuesday and told TimesLIVE the latest repair was part of ongoing work in the area and not solely because of Zille’s visit.
“The matter was logged and then it was received by the city, and probably the city was dealing with ageing steel and asbestos water pipes in several parts of Johannesburg,” he said.
Morero said broader pipe replacement plans were under way and additional potholes caused by the leak would be escalated to the JRA for attention.
Residents are hopeful that this time the repairs will last.
“It would be lovely if it were permanently fixed. I would be very grateful,” Kennedy added.
TimesLIVE
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