Despite the Krugersdorp West swimming pool’s water being greener than some of the rugby fields at a few local schools, the Mogale City Local Municipality still uses it as a marketing tool; bragging that they launched and maintained it successfully.
Photo: Bianca Pindral
Photo: Bianca Pindral
Patrick Lipudi, Executive Mayor of Mogale City, said in various Integrated Development Plan (IDP) meetings that the city’s residents should trust the municipality because in the ANC’s few years of reign it has successfully opened three swimming pools in the area – Krugersdorp West, Azaadville and Kagiso.
However, the Krugersdorp West swimming pool, which was reopened for a short period of time in October 2016, has decayed to an unusable state because it hasn’t been taken care of.
Their explanation? “Not enough money to pay for the lifeguards or chlorine”. The News contacted the municipal spokesperson, Nkosana Zali, but he has not responded to the questions asked.
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There have been reports that various deep-sea divers who are qualified lifeguards volunteered to work at the pool for free, but despite numerous visits, meetings and negotiations with the municipal staff in charge of the pool, no official plans were made to appoint them. There were also claims that one of the swimming pool’s pumps broke and is the reason why the water is so dirty; however, brand-new systems were installed in 2016 when it was reopened.
Photo: Bianca Pindral
The pool was supposed to reopen in September this year, but has not, despite taking almost two years to rebuild it to its former glory. It was later discovered that despite spending more than R9,1 million between the Krugersdorp West, Kagiso and Azaadville pools, the former remains closed.
With rising petrol prices and inflation taking its toll on the lower middle class, most of the residents of the area will not have sufficient funds to go on holiday, so they would have enjoyed the swimming pool if it had been opened for December.
Trudie Naudé, DA ward councillor for the area in which the Krugersdorp swimming pool falls, said she was disappointed in the municipality’s inability to take care of this once wonderful asset.
“It was one of the only places the people could go to have some fun and it kept them away from the bad stuff,” said Naudé.
The municipality has also maintained radio silence about the swimming pool, however it is still mentioned whenever they list their success stories.
Photo: Bianca Pindral
Hester Bronwyn Pitzar, a member of the public who responded to a News opinion poll on Facebook about the swimming pool said, “Rich people have somewhere else to swim. What about the little kids that don’t know someone with a swimming pool? They can’t go swim? To me it’s stupid to give the kids something to do and then take it away again. That’s not right.”
Severus Pietersen said that service delivery means nothing to the local municipality.
“They don’t want to realise that tax payers fund the facilities in this town and not the ruling party. It’s pathetic.”
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at krugersdorpnews@caxton.co.za or phone us on 011 955 1130.
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