Johannesburg – The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng has faced criticism after using a stuffed giraffe head as a prop to draw attention to a dangerous sinkhole in Mogale City.
The stunt was led by DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Roads and Logistics Evert Du Plessis, who visited the sinkhole on Friday, 14 August. The party placed the giraffe head inside the hole to illustrate its depth.
The DA said: “A sinkhole so deep a giraffe can stand in it.”
“Residents and small businesses in the area continue to live with the danger and disruption. To drive the point home, a giraffe prop was placed in the hole to show just how deep and serious the problem is.
The party said the stunt was intended to highlight the danger posed to residents and businesses, calling on the Gauteng Department of Roads and Logistics and MEC Kedibone Diale-Tlabela to intervene urgently.
“We are calling on the Department of Roads and Logistics and MEC Kedibone Diale-Tlabela to intervene urgently and fix this before someone gets hurt. How long must residents wait?
However, the stunt angered the Owl Rescue Centre, which said it initially believed a real giraffe had fallen into the sinkhole and dispatched a rescue team.
“Naturally, we rushed straight out to help. Right up until we received this photo and realised it might be a prank. Turns out, it was,” the rescue centre said.
The centre said it had wasted valuable time and fuel responding to what appeared to be an emergency and asked the DA to contribute towards its fuel costs.
“DA – You owe us a donation towards fuel, please,” it said.
The rescue organisation also criticised the use of animal remains for political messaging.
“Using an actual dead animal to score political points isn’t just unethical but deeply disrespectful to our wildlife and biodiversity,” it said.
It acknowledged the DA’s concern about the sinkhole but said: “Using animal remains as a prop shows a real lack of respect and empathy for our wildlife and biodiversity.”
Former Mogale City mayor Tyrone Michael Gray, who also used the giraffe prop in social media posts, questioned whether the person who reported the supposed animal emergency should be held accountable.
“Should the person who gave a false report not be held to account?” Gray said.
The stunt also drew criticism from members of the public, with one commenter saying: “This was not funny…there are better ways to highlight a sinkhole. Many people were distressed and Owl Rescue Centre could have spent their time saving other animals that needed their help.”
Another wrote: “Yea…this one was a misstep guys 
…probably better to keep animals out of it 
“
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
