You’ve heard of America’s Next Top Model, but what about South Africa’s Next Top Pothole? Some potholes were recently ranked against each other to find the meanest pothole on the roads, and we laughed a little more than we should’ve…
South Africa (07 April 2025) — Move over America’s Next Top Model, South Africa’s Next Top Pothole is coming for you.
While the show might be fictional, the idea behind it is not. Recently, comedian Byron Davel took to rating potholes as if the road hazards themselves were actively vying to be the meanest beasts on the road, and it had us laughing more than we probably should’ve.
We all know potholes as menaces and reflections of places where government has failed its people. But we also know them as something South Africans get through armed with humour. The humour of it all helps remind us of something very important: control over how we feel about things that seem out of our control. When we take ownership of our emotions, we might consider taking ownership of action. And when it comes to action against potholes, there are several South African individuals and communities who have gone above and beyond to get their hands dirty and fix the gaps in our infrastructure headaches.
Davel’s video compared some of his ‘favourite potholes’ by rating them out of 10. Some are pretty run-of-the-mill numbers, while others are less road and more pothole entirely. The sarcasm is crisp, the sentiment serious: a protest through humour.
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