FRUSTRATION from the North Durban community has deepened after news that the Firwood Road municipal pool will only be reopened in mid 2021.
That’s according to the eThekwini Municipality’s architectural department.
The municipal pool was closed in July 2017 with the City hoping to attend to a leakage problem which had affected residents on Falkirk Avenue, directly behind the pool.
However, since the closure, residents and the local ward councillor, Bobby Maharajh, have been left in the dark as to when the pool would be reopened.
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City spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said a feasibility study is being undertaken to evaluate the extent of the damages.
“Capital funding has been sourced for the preliminary feasibility, scoping exercise to determine the extent of the leaks and repairs needed to rehabilitate the pool, as well as associated services, prior to re-opening the pool to the public. The exercise is being undertaken to evaluate the extent of the damages and the architectural department has indicated that this pool will only be re-opened in mid-2021,” he said.
When Northglen News visited the municipal pool last week, work was being carried out by municipal workers.
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The news has surprised ward councillor, Maharajh, who expressed his optimism last week after seeing workers on site.
“Just last week, residents were expressing their happiness and hope because municipal workers were on site at the pool and there seemed to be some movement. However, now hearing the pool will only reopen in 2021, that hope has dissipated. We’ve already had two years without any action being taken and now residents will have a further two years without a pool. Firwood Road pool has served the community for a number of years. It’s a great facility and seeing it empty makes me angry and frustrated,” he said.
Maharajh said he would be speaking to senior officials at the municipality over the pool’s lengthy closure.
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