While canvassing by parties has gone into overdrive. The Kanonkop battle led to a massive misunderstanding between two political opponents, the DA’s Helda de Klerk and the MHRF’s Rehana Pilodia, who both jumped at the opportunity to assist Maroela Street residents with a burst water pipe, which caused a dangerous sinkhole.

Members of the Kanonkop community, on request of councillor De Klerk, gathered at the sinkhole from 16:00 waiting for contractors, to protect them from striking municipal workers.

Some of the community members offering protection were affiliated with other civic security groups, like Afriforum Community Watch and the Sector 4 Radio Group.

Tempers, however, flared when CPF members turned up shortly after 19:00, making a stink over vehicle emergency lights flashing around the contractors, after Ms Pilodia, MHRF candidate for Dennesig and CPF chairwoman, told the CPF members to also go and offer protection to the contractors, without drawing any attention, specifically instructing them not to use their emergency lights.

When she heard that other security groups had already arrived and were flashing their green (Afriforum) and white (Sector 4 Radio Group) lights, Ms Pilodia instructed CPF members to stand down.

Meanwhile, the members of the other security groups also stood down, resulting in the contractors leaving and only returning in the early morning hours to tend to the pipe.

Ms De Klerk will be squaring off with close confidant of Ms Pilodia, Dr Tinus van der Merwe, in Kanonkop on November 1.

Ms Pilodia is also a former ANC councillor, who ran and lost to Ms De Klerk in Kanonkop during the previous election.

The pipe was eventually fixed at around 03:00 on Tuesday morning without any security threats to contractors. Both women, however, went to great lengths, calling on contacts within the municipality to organise the contractors and organise protection.