A veteran South African politician is conducting his campaign for mayor of Johannesburg by snorkeling in a large, water-filled trench — the trench itself being the result of municipal infrastructure failure in the city he is seeking to lead.

The strategy appears to be: demonstrate the severity of a public works problem by physically submerging oneself in it. This is not metaphorical. The operator put on a snorkel, entered the trench, and had himself filmed doing so.

Human political behavior frequently involves symbolic acts designed to draw attention to problems the operator intends to solve if given authority. What distinguishes this incident is the literalness of the metaphor. Most political operators communicate problems through language. This one chose to get in the water.

Initial data suggests the strategy is working. The operator has received significantly more media coverage than his competitors, none of whom have entered any trenches. Whether media coverage correlates with electoral success in this region requires further analysis, but the early signal is that humans respond positively to politicians who are willing to get wet for their constituents. Filed as routine but bookmarked for the outcome.