The City of Cape Town will pilot extended weekday operating hours at its 31 community swimming pools, with pools reopening from Wednesdays to Sundays from 28 January to 6 April this year.
The City’s 31 outdoor community swimming pools reverted to weekend operations from Monday 19 January but will soon reopen again for extended weekday operations on a pilot basis.
Drop in demand
Due to the drop in demand once schools reopen, and to ensure the effective management of operational costs, the standard operating procedure until now has been to revert to weekend-only operations during these periods.
The City has received requests over time from within communities to retain some midweek operations once schools reopen.
This will be piloted at all swimming pools for the rest of the season, ending 6 April, to assess demand and viability. “This pilot is made possible by the extensive repairs and upgrades to pools in recent years, which means many more pools can open for extended periods. We are pleased to confirm that from Wednesday 28 January, our community pools will be open from Wednesday to Sunday each week. After an incredibly busy summer season during which pools were open seven days a week, we are retaining Mondays and Tuesdays for essential maintenance and to maintain staff wellbeing. The usage results of this pilot will inform what happens in years to come, and whether it is feasible to operate these facilities seven days a week throughout the summer months,” said Mayco member for community services and health, Francine Higham.
Operating hours
From Wednesday until 22 March, the outdoor community swimming pool will be operational during the following hours:
Monday – Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday – Sunday: 10:00 – 18:00
From 23 March until 6 April, community swimming pools will operate daily again for the school holidays, and close for the season on Tuesday 7 April.
Six community pools will be closing to the public from early February to undergo major infrastructure repairs required to ensure they are fully operational for the 2026-’27 summer season. These include Manenberg, Langa, Lentegeur, Goodwood, Bellville South and Delft.
Residents are also advised that repairs at Retreat Swimming Pool have been completed and the pool reopened to the public on Friday 23 January.
And so, residents can continue to enjoy daily access to four indoor swimming pools – Retreat, Blue Downs, Long Street and Strand, as well as the Sea Point swimming pool.
Over the past three financial years, the City invested approximately R113,5 million in swimming pool upgrades and maintenance across the metropole. As a result of this phased investment, 36 of the City’s 37 pools are open this summer – compared to 26 in the 2022-’23 season.
Additional investment is in progress. Once the adjustments budget is finalised, the total capital budget for swimming pools in this financial year will increase by more than double, from just under R12,5 million to nearly R29,7 million.
Swimming pools set to benefit from the additional funding include those mentioned for February closure namely Bellville South, Delft, Langa, Lentegeur, Goodwood and Manenberg.
“Our swimming pools are more than recreational spaces – they are safe, inclusive places that support physical health, mental wellbeing and social connection. For young people, pools provide positive, supervised spaces during the summer months, and for older residents they offer accessible opportunities to stay active and connected. Continued investment in these facilities is an investment in the dignity, health and quality of life of our communities,” said Councillor Higham.
