Blairgowrie residents, city officials and businesses revived a pool, proving collaboration can restore hope in Joburg’s future.
Yesterday, the Blairgowrie public swimming pool opened for spring for the first time in four years. It hasn’t been opened since just after the pandemic, when it was already starting to go downhill very quickly.
Over the next four years the decay would render the pool and the change rooms unusable.
Spring day would come and go each year, only for it to remain closed – until a group of concerned citizens; ratepayers, local politicians and civil servants found a way to work together to bring this important public facility back from the brink.
There has been a lot written about this Lazarus-like resurrection in Johannesburg’s northern suburbs – and rightfully so. It’s one thing to have concerned citizens raising their voices, but it’s just as important to have municipal officials prepared to listen.
When that happens, the magic occurs.
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The residents got permission to revamp a public space while the city promised to keep to its side of the bargain and keep it maintained and staffed afterwards.
From there, the Blairgowrie Community Association (BCA) started crowdfunding for a fence to keep the park’s integrity at night and organising volunteer parties to repaint the walls and fix the gardens.
The City of Joburg provided trees that were duly planted, a local security company stepped in and promised to monitor the facility after it closes every day to prevent any crime.
There have been donations of paint, equipment, even toilet seats and basins and food for the work parties. It’s been a long tough grind, but, finally, it all came together yesterday.
It’s not the only thing the BCA does, kerbs and road signs have been repainted and the BCA site on Facebook is a hive of activity keeping everyone updated, while members write in looking for advice and references and others get jobs.
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In the midst of so much bad news about the City of Joburg, this is a small example of what can happen if people do work together, all of them and all the time.
It doesn’t help to build higher walls and fume about official incompetence behind them. And it doesn’t help, either, to take matters into your own hands and just do it yourself without anyone’s else’s buy-in.
The Blairgowrie swimming pool project shows yet again how important it is to work together.
To mangle Neil Armstrong, it’s a small step for the suburb, but potentially a giant leap for South Africa.
