ONLY nine out of 17 municipal swimming pools in Port Elizabeth will be open for the summer season amid drought conditions and lack of funding.
The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) is currently experiencing a lack of funds to provide proper maintenance for various swimming pools, with structural defects mentioned as the major concern. The swimming pools will be filled by means of bore hole water, as the city is currently under strict water restrictions. The total combined capacity of the metro’s dams was at 36.24% as of November 18.
Municipal spokesperson, Kupido Baron, said that the NMBM is urgently reviewing their position regarding the usage of recreational swimming pools during the summer season.
“This is due to the fact that we stopped abstraction from Impofu Dam, the largest supply dam to the NMBM. Impofu is currently at 16.74% with the current levels lower than the abstraction point, where water is pumped into the distribution system.”
“Our departments of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture and Infrastructure, Engineering, Electricity and Energy will have to meet urgently to determine whether our current plans are conducive to our constitutional mandate to prioritise the provision of drinking water to our residents.
“One of the pertinent questions will be regarding the usage of potable municipal water to top up municipal swimming pools,” Baron said.
The R8 million swimming pool facility in New Brighton will also be open this year. The swimming pool project, initiated in 2010 by the NMBM is currently in phase two, where the Mandela Bay Development Agency’s project team is in the process of finalising the caretaker’s cottage and the public parking area. The envisaged completion is before the start of the summer season.
According to the DA spokesperson for Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Margaret de Andrade, the James Kleinhans swimming pool in Westering remains a challenge and although it is empty, the pool will be filled for the summer.
De Andrade added, “I have been in contact with the metro’s director of SRAC, Charmaine Williams, and she informed me that another pool will be opened in Newton Park, although there’s challenges regarding repair work.
“There are only 11 out the 21 pools in the entire metro (which includes Port Elizabeth, Uitenhage and Despatch) opening, according to the Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture Standing Committee agenda notes.”
The above mentioned agenda states that the location was considered as part of the criteria to ensure that each cluster has one pool opened.
The pool season annually starts in October, ending the first week in April. However, due to drought conditions, the swimming pools will be opened for a shorter period. Last summer season, 12 pools in the metro were exempted from water restrictions, according to the agenda.
The following pools will be open in PE (summer):
- James Kleinhans pool (Westering);
- New Brighton pool;
- Varsvlei pool (Bethelsdorp);
- Kings Beach middle pool;
- Wells Estate pool;
- Gelvandale pool;
- Motherwell pool;
- Newton Park pool;
- Zwide pool.
The following pools will not be opened in Port Elizabeth due to major maintenance required:
- Algoa Park pool;
- Malabar pool;
- McArthur Pool and Leisure Centre (toddler pool)
- Chatty pool;
- Schauderville pool;
- Trafalgar pool (North End);
- Kwazakhele pool;
- St George’s pool.
However, ward 10 councillor, Andy Jordan, said that although the Gelvandale pool will be open for the summer season, major red flags have been identified. “The pool is not nearly ready to be opened due to major maintenance issues. The cracked tiles and other structural issues around the pool, are safety hazards for children. Workers started to clean the pool and I was informed that the pool will be open the first week in December,” Jordan said.
Baron added that the Bay is in a fortunate position of being a buzzing coastal city with a summer season programme geared towards encouraging activities and participation at the beachfront that include swimming.
