[VIDEO] Residents hit out at Ekurhuleni metro for swimming pool failure

Locals, including swim teams and community leaders, have hit out at the City of Ekurhuleni’s Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture Department for its failure to reopen swimming pools.

The majority of the city’s pools remain closed – prompting fears that the growing loss of public pools may result in a lost generation of young swimmers, while undermining local clubs’ efforts.
Out of the 37 public pools, the department has only managed to reopen 11 facilities in time for the new swimming season (September 1 to March 31).

According to the metro, the most common reasons for the closure of the remaining 26 leisure facilities include vandalism and theft, delayed maintenance or refurbishments, and delays in procuring pool supplies.

Among the pools that failed to reopen is the highly sought-after Boksburg North Swimming Pool – the only heated indoor Olympic-sized facility in Gauteng.

This public leisure and sports venue has become a costly white elephant after failing to reopen for two consecutive years, leaving the swimming fraternity in limbo.

The facility remains shut due to long-standing defective heat pumps and pump motors. It is also plagued by water leaks around the pool, which spill onto the floor and into the pool water, compromising water quality and making it unsafe for users.

Explaining the closure of this Category A pool, which boasts three lifeguards and three general workers, the metro could only say: “The pool needs to be heated, and funding must be made available for the major repairs.”
Category A pools are Olympic-sized, heated indoor/outdoor, high-profile pools used for hosting provincial, national and international events.

Lack of facility hinders Olympic dreams
Expressing frustration at the metro’s failure to reopen the Boksburg North pool, Rosy de Freitas of the Boksburg Aquatics Saints Swimming and Lifesaving Club said the closure of the pool leaves their club without a facility, particularly in the winter months (May–September).

“Not having a suitable public swimming pool to use has been of great expense to swimmers due to the fees of hiring alternative pools, causing some swimmers to miss training during winter.
“There is a great advantage in having a 50m pool in which to train, as well as for championship galas where Long Course times are required.”

De Freitas stated that this has affected not only her club but the entire swimming community in Ekurhuleni.
“Without access to an Olympic-sized facility, local teams, schools and other professionals are forced to spend more money to use private facilities for training and preparation for big events.

“Our club had to train at Bedfordview Virgin Active as it was the only pool we could find available, and it was expensive. This year, we were fortunate to have found space at the K90 Virgin Active, but it was still costly. Some swimmers cannot attend winter training as they are not Virgin Active members, and the travel is far.
“We are, however, grateful to the schools and gyms that have allowed clubs to train at their facilities.”

The Saints club was originally based at Boksburg North Swimming Pool, but due to its closure, it was forced to move to St Dominic’s Catholic School for Girls.
“However, the winter months still remain a problem as the facility at the school is an outdoor pool. Without the Boksburg North Swimming Pool, we have to find temporary indoor pools. The gym pools can only grant us two to three lanes, which is far from ideal when you have 25-plus swimmers.”

With the closure of the Boksburg North pool during winter, the aquatics association was forced to host the main galas at St Benedict’s Catholic School, which is a very small venue.
The Eastern Gauteng Aquatics Association (EGA), which has played an instrumental role in keeping Delville Swimming Pool operational and in lobbying for the rehabilitation of Boksburg North Pool, has previously expressed its disappointment and called on the city to address the issues delaying its reopening.

Metro failing to honour obligations
Meanwhile, ward councillor Madelaine Muller lambasted the sports and recreation division for failing to fulfil its mandate of providing access to sport and recreational facilities.

She described the responsible authorities as indifferent towards the swimming fraternity, despite her numerous efforts to persuade them to get the Boksburg North pool up and running again.

“The swimming fraternity has missed out on opportunities to host galas and to prepare for world championships because the only indoor heated swimming pool in the city is closed.

“It’s not like the city was caught off guard. For decades, it has always been tradition for the city’s pools to reopen on September 1 to coincide with the arrival of spring.
“The Boksburg North pool is supposed to remain operational for 11 months because it’s heated, and only to be closed for a month in April to allow for maintenance.

“This is where the city should be developing and producing swimming stars who will represent us nationally and internationally.
“What is mind-boggling about the situation is that the staff, consisting of lifeguards, security personnel and cleaners, have been on duty here every day for the last two years, drawing full salaries – but nothing is happening. Lifeguards are sitting here guarding an empty pool.”

The councillor pointed out that this pool is supposed to generate revenue for the city.
“The pool charges a R20 entrance fee, and I’ve seen how busy it gets during the summer season. But it is mind-boggling that it’s simply left to go to waste.

“An independent quote for fixing the heating system was done two years ago at around R140 000. The quote was given to the municipality, but they never responded.
“That is not a massive amount for government. They could have done it, but because they would rather award contracts at five times the actual cost, the contractor was not appointed.
“Because of the delay, the cost has obviously escalated. Apparently, it’s now going to cost millions of rand.”

Solution
Muller believes that the best solution to rescue the facility from going to rack and ruin is entering into a public-private partnership with one of the aquatics associations in Ekurhuleni or Gauteng.

“This partnership will not mean that the facility is taken away from the public. Arrangements can be made to accommodate both the general public and local clubs for training and galas.
“The East Gauteng Aquatics Association has already shown an interest in entering into such a partnership with the metro to get this facility up and running again, but the department seems to be dragging its feet and has not committed to reopening it.”

Rewind to 2024
Here’s a look back at some of the promises made by the city in 2024:
In March last year, the metro said a contractor had finally been appointed to fix the damaged pump at the Boksburg North pool.
This came after the facility had already suffered a delay of over six months since failing to reopen in September 2023.
The metro went on to say it was, however, unclear when the repair work would begin or be completed, as it was still awaiting an implementation plan from the appointed contractor.

“The contractor will indicate the timelines when he starts working on the project, and this shall be communicated to the communities affected via the media and other platforms,” metro spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said in March last year.

For a full breakdown of operational and non-operational pools, click here