NPO takes up fight to save school swimming pool
Uoane primary school is the only school in Mamelodi with a swimming pool and it desperately needs fixing.
An organisation dealing with substance abuse has taken up a project to save the swimming pool at the Uoane primary school in Mamelodi.
This came after the school’s swimming pool stopped working due to vandalism in 2019 during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Tshireletso Ngobeni of the community-oriented substance use programme (Cosup) said this is the only school in Mamelodi with a swimming pool and it desperately needs funds to get it going again.
She said the idea of fixing the school’s pool came after she visited Entokozweni skills centre to see the skills offered and was told the pool at Oaone primary school was no longer working.
“We visited the school and offered to give a helping hand in revamping and renovating the pool,” said Ngobeni.
She said the pool desperately needs more than R60 000 for equipment to return it to its former glory.
Cosup social worker Keamogetswe Dihutso said Cosup has helped a lot of people get back on their feet and always wants to give back to the community.
“We are going to need all the hands to fix the pool,” she said.
“The pool will not only benefit the school, but help keep children in Mamelodi busy and away from the street doing bad things.”
The children of Mamelodi will learn to swim and participate in swim competitions with other schools.”
School administrator Fanie Shongwe said the school raised funds to build the pool in 2006 to create extra mural activities “since we had a soccer ground, tennis, netball and crickets pitches” already.
“Though we struggled to get swimming coaches with accreditations, the pool kept working for several years until we were forced to go on a national shutdown in 2019 due to Covid-19,” said Shongwe.
He said the pool was vandalised during level 5 Covid-19 restrictions when the school had no security.
Shongwe added a functioning pool will make a huge difference at the school in terms of fundraising, swimming competitions and other public benefits too.
He said the addition of change rooms will be a bonus because “we struggled a lot in terms of changing clothes when we held swimming competitions”.
Principal Lazarus Tlhone said fixing the swimming pool was one of the school’s projects, a long-term project because of the budget.
“However, the approach by Cosup was a bonus for the school because we didn’t know where to get funds to fix the pool.
“Revamping of the school pool will also help the school in terms of increasing the number of learners since we have a challenge of a small number of learners.
“We have approached the Department of Basic Education about fixing the pool but we are still waiting for it to come back to us,” said Tlhone.
He added there is a lot of talent in Mamelodi and some of these learners have hidden talents and the pool will help them unleash their talents and produce superstars.
The school sports facility also needed a revamp too.
Tlhone pleaded with the community, local businessmen especially alumni to help with funds or equipment to revamp the swimming pool.
Gauteng education spokesperson Steve Mabona said the department is aware that the above-mentioned school has a vandalised swimming pool.
He said the department will assess the extent of the damage and appoint a service provider for necessary repairs and refurbishment.
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