Pool bylaws unreasonable – residents’ association
The Craighall Residents Association has conveyed its previous objection to the proposed pool bylaws.
According to the spokesperson of the residents’ association, Wendy McAllister, of the 1800 people on the association’s database, only one response was in favour of the proposed bylaws for residential swimming pools.
The City of Johannesburg is set to introduce a new bylaw that will require all home pools to be fenced off or covered with a protective net at all times when the pool is not in use.
According to the spokesperson for Emergency Services, Nana Radebe, the introduction of these measures is to ensure safety around private swimming pools by preventing accidental injury or drowning.
However, the residents’ association felt that instead of proposing bylaws for residents’ swimming pools, the council should rather focus on more important issues within the community.
McAllister said the city council should concentrate on implementing existing bylaws before proposing new ones.
“Residents would have taken the necessary safety precautions for their pool should they have felt a need to,” said McAllister.
She added, “[Other] bylaws in place do not force residents to spend R6000 or more.”
“If every avoidable and unnecessary death of an adult or child was recorded and heavy legislation was put in place… even if every child is put into a car seat, there would still be fatalities, regardless.”
According to McAllister, the residents’ association would rather see the city council provide swimming lessons for adults and children who cannot swim, thereby giving them the necessary survival skills to be safe and knowledgeable near any water source.
McAllister added that residents have emphasised they should not be held responsible for the carelessness of a minimum percentage of pool owners.
