Seven-year closure leaves Klopper Park swimming pool in disrepair

For more than seven years, Klopper Park residents have been left without access to a public swimming facility, with the pool’s condition painting a disturbing picture of prolonged neglect.

The pool remains out of operation, while the facility has deteriorated.

It is filled with green, stagnant water, and the circulation and filtration systems are reportedly not functioning.

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Ward 39 Clr Kade Guerreiro, DA mayoral candidate Khathutselo Rasiligwane and Member of Parliament Michéle Clarke visited the pool on September 1 as part of an oversight visit of pools in the ward.

The situation is not new. In October 2025, the City of Ekurhuleni acknowledged that the pool had not opened for the swimming season because of delays in securing a new tender.

At the time, the city said the tender process included all Ekurhuleni pools, while Guerreiro raised concerns about malfunctioning pumps and the condition of the pool itself.

Germiston City News also reported concerns surrounding the pool’s condition in 2023, with reports of overgrown grass, algae and problems involving the pump station.

At the time, Guerreiro raised concerns about whether the facility was safe for residents, particularly children. He warned about the dangers posed by the green water.

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The city highlighted at the time that municipal pools could only open when qualified lifeguards were on duty.

“What makes the situation particularly frustrating for the community is that the pool has effectively become a symbol of a much bigger service-delivery problem, in that infrastructure is allowed to deteriorate instead of being maintained before it reaches crisis point,” said Guerreiro.

During the Spring Day visit, Rasiligwane said that a swimming pool cannot simply be opened when summer arrives.

“Pumps, filtration systems, water treatment, surrounding infrastructure and safety equipment require regular maintenance throughout the year. When these systems are left unattended for prolonged periods, the eventual repair bill can become far greater than the cost of preventative maintenance,” she explained.

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Rasiligwane said for children and young people in the area, the closure means losing access to an affordable recreational facility close to home.

“For families, it means travelling elsewhere if they want to use a public pool. For the community as a whole, the neglected facility represents public infrastructure that residents cannot enjoy despite it being intended for their benefit,” said Rasiligwane.

“The question now is not when will Klopper Park Swimming Pool reopen, but how much will it cost to restore a facility that has been allowed to deteriorate for so long,” said Rasiligwane, who also questioned why routine maintenance was not carried out.

She said the city needs to account to residents on when the pool was last serviced, when pumps were last repaired or replaced, what the current condition of the filtration system is, how much has been spent on the facility while it has remained closed, and when residents will be able to use their swimming pool again.

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“A pool filled with green water after years of closure should not be the normal state of a public recreational facility,” Rasiligwane said.

Guerreiro said Klopper Park residents are asking for a basic community facility to be maintained, repaired and returned to service.

“With the possibility of a hot and dry summer, the pool is a need,” he said.

Germiston City News sent an enquiry regarding concerns about the Klopper Park pool and the questions posed by Rasiligwane to the city on September 2 at 11:00.

Comment was requested by September 4 at 12:00.

At the time of going to print, no comment had been received.