THE Lieutenant King municipal swimming pool on The Bluff saw some work done recently but remains closed because of a series of maintenance and chemical supply issues. The SUN first reported on its closure on March 31. The news disappointed most residents, particularly schoolchildren who were looking forward to enjoying the pool during school holidays.

Also read: No swimming for scholars this holiday: The Bluff municipal pool closed

Zoë Solomon, the ward 66 councillor, provided an update on the pool, saying, “Our pool is in dire straits.”

Solomon and Jason Johnson, who serves under the portfolio for sports, arts, culture and recreation in ward 66, recently visited the pool and identified several problems.

Issues:

1. There are drains blocked with sand that are causing the weirs to silt up in the shallow end and the circulation is inhibited in that area.
2. The black algae is able to grow on the surfaces as it is porous and needs elongated wire brushes to scrub it off constantly.
3. The floor of the pool is crumbling and makes the cleaning a nightmare because the debris makes the water cloudy when manually vacuumed.
4. The pool needs a complete resurfacing in the form of tiling which costs R4.5m.

Work done:

1. Pool chemicals have been ordered and should be in stores today.
2. The six pumps have been repaired and overhauled and are in good working order.
3. Solomon has requested that the drain be rodded and a resident is attempting to assist her (jetting may affect the aged piping so rods are being tried first)
4. The team on the ground at the pool are passionate and dedicated to the community and will do what it takes to find a solution.

Solomon has already begun taking formal action.

“I am putting in a site visit request from the committee responsible for pools, writing a submission of notice of motion to council regarding the issue of procuring chemicals in time and applying for the pool refurbishment for the budget 2026/2027, as some pools have been refurbished in eThekwini and we are definitely a candidate for this upgrade. I am also enlisting the help of members of the public to force an immediate solution to restore the pool to a swimmable state and to deal with the smaller issues that can be solved at grassroots,” she said.

Johnson said the pool is used not just by ward 66 but also by the surrounding communities. “It is an integral part of keeping our youngsters busy and out of trouble. It is also used by many for training purposes,” said Johnson.

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