Watch: Helen Zille sings happy birthday to a three-year-old Joburg pothole

A Johannesburg pothole has received an unexpected birthday celebration, with Democratic Alliance (DA) mayoral candidate Helen Zille using a song to draw attention to the city’s road maintenance problems.

In a video shared on her Facebook page, Zille sings happy birthday to a pothole said to be three years old before turning the moment into a campaign message about fixing Johannesburg’s roads.

The clip forms part of her Roads That Work pledge, which promises faster pothole repairs and improved traffic light functionality if the DA wins control of the city.

A birthday song with a political message

Zille’s second campaign pledge promises to have potholes filled within 72 hours by the end of a five-year term, restore 95% of traffic lights to working order and repaint road markings. ‘Fill pothole within 72 hours,’ reads the pledge shared alongside the video.

The commitment echoes an earlier campaign stunt in March, when Zille swam in a massive, water-filled pothole in Douglasdale that residents said had remained for more than three years. The City of Johannesburg subsequently repaired the hole after the incident attracted public attention, according to EWN.

The latest video uses humour to revisit a frustration familiar to many Johannesburg motorists: damaged roads and questions about how quickly reported problems are addressed.

Take a peek at the serenade

With local government elections scheduled for 4 November 2026, the birthday serenade doubles as a reminder of the practical service delivery commitments at the centre of Zille’s mayoral campaign.

Whether the promise can be delivered consistently across the city remains the bigger question for residents who want safer, better-maintained roads.

From President Cyril Ramaphosa’s church visit in Khayelitsha to ActionSA’s Dereleen James intervening in a case involving vulnerable children, Gayton McKenzie’s outspoken public persona and Julius Malema’s fiery rallies, South African politicians are finding different ways to capture public attention. Zille’s birthday serenade to a three-year-old pothole adds a touch of humour to the campaign trail, raising the question of whether these viral moments will translate into meaningful change for voters.