Get your house in order. That’s the message to Durban from tourists and locals who visited the Durban promenade this week only to find some facilities, including two public swimming pools, out of order.
On Monday the city scrambled to make amends following outrage that on top of the unsafe status of many beaches — due to high E. coli readings in the wake of sewerage ruptures — the Rachel Finlayson pool and the pool at the children’s amusement centre were shut.
The pools are usually a major tourist attraction, particularly on public holidays such as December 16.
The city admitted the pools had been closed for some time but said a contractor had been appointed on Monday. A visit to the area on Thursday revealed that work was in progress, with concrete pipes next to the pump house and workers cleaning the empty pools.
Spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela did not respond to questions about why the city hadn’t fixed the pools or appointed a contractor ahead of the tourist season.
Now that we have appointed a contractor we can get the [Rachel Finlayson] pool up and running again. In addition, officials are also finalising the appointment of a contractor to repair the children’s amusement centre pool, also at the beachfront
— Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda
In a statement on Friday the city said maintenance was taking longer than expected at the pools and confirmed that Umhlanga beach, which was reopened on December 1, had been closed again.
Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda said the public’s frustration was “understandable”.
At a council meeting on Thursday Kaunda came in for a drubbing from the EFF, which called for his head over the city’s failure to ensure clean and accessible beaches and pools.
“Now that we have appointed a contractor we can get the [Rachel Finlayson] pool up and running again. In addition, officials are also finalising the appointment of a contractor to repair the children’s amusement centre pool, also at the beachfront,” said Kaunda.
He said the South Beach paddling pool, Kings Park indoor and outdoor pools and 22 other pools in greater Durban, including Durban North, Westville, Umlazi and Westville, were operational.
Schoolteacher Nondumiso Hlela, 55, who visited the city with her colleagues from a school in uMzimkhulu, said they were disappointed at the condition of the the beachfront area.
“We just hope this gets resolved as speedily as possible,” said Hlela.
Roodepoort mother Lesedi Motse, who brought her three teenage children to Durban, said she was frustrated the pools were closed.
“I decided to come here early just before all schools break. I’m aware the city had battled the high E. coli levels but thought we could at least swim in the pool. Luckily the hotel has a pool but it’s not the same,” she said.
Durbanite Abigail Cope, 24, said the city needed to measure up and get it’s house in order if it wanted to attract international and local tourists.
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