‘Officer Zille’ untangles traffic

Premier Helen Zille directs traffic blocking the entrance to her residence in Gardens.

Premier Helen Zille directs traffic blocking the entrance to her residence in Gardens.

Published Jan 26, 2015

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Cape Town - No blue light brigade was needed for Western Cape premier Helen Zille when she was trapped near her Gardens residence by a traffic jam. She simply got out to direct the traffic herself.

“Officer Zille” took matters into her own hands on Saturday morning when traffic from the Oranjezicht City Farm market – which is hosted at her Leeuwenhof residence - blocked her from leaving her driveway.

Zille marched into the middle of the jam and started directing cars to wait and go, easing the blockage within minutes.

A video of the premier’s hands-on problem solving went viral on social media on Sunday, after Instagrammer Timothy Singh posted a short clip of her in the middle of an intersection, orchestrating traffic.

From his handle “timmygotagun”, he wrote: “When the premier of Western Cape, Helen Zille, notices there is a congregation of traffic outside her house and starts directing traffic. What an absolute legend!”

The post received more than 260 likes within a day.

The clip shows Zille wearing jeans, sandals, a long white top and a sun hat, untangling the suburban snarl-up by directing drivers using arm signals.

A man in a dark green bib tentatively tries to help, following her lead.

SEE A PROBLEM, FIX IT

Zille’s spokesman, Michael Mpofu, said it was as simple as seeing a problem, and fixing it.

“The premier saw a need and she stepped in to help where she could,” Mpofu said. “Her effort resulted in the traffic jam being cleared within three minutes.”

Zille brushed off comments of amazement from impressed followers on Twitter.

“Lol, I just had to get rid of a traffic jam at the bottom of my drive,” she tweeted to one

She explained the situation in further tweets: “There is a traffic light at the bottom of the drive.

“It did not change and there was a huge jam. Spent about 3 mins clearing it.”

To another tweeter, Zille said she first asked police officers for help, and when none was forthcoming, she did the job herself.

“I was sorting out chaos. The police were sitting in their van. I asked them to help and then I did it.”

The Oranjezicht City Farm market was nearly canned in November 2014 after it failed to meet heritage requirements at its previous site.

An outcry on social media lamented its loss until Zille stepped in to save the day, offering her official residence at Leeuwenhof as an alternative venue for the market.

The premier’s residence has played host to the market ever since, even opening the pool for children to cool off.

Dubbed “Villa Zille” by the market, it is a popular activity that attracts crowds to the city on Saturday mornings - and the traffic that goes with it is obviously no obstacle to the hostess.

The Argus

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