With school holidays in full swing and people looking to koel af in the summer heat, Athlone residents are protesting against the delays in the reopening of the Athlone swimming pool.
Dozens of children held a protest organised by the Bridgetown Community Development Forum (BCDF) last Friday over the prolonged closure of the pool, which had been scheduled to reopen on 17 November.
BCDF community liaison officer Nazeem Felander says: “The Athlone pool was closed for the whole Covid-19 period so any upgrade, repair or refurbishment could’ve been done in the Covid period. And then after Covid-19, it was opened for +- six months and then it was closed in February 2023, which was 11 months ago for them to do whatever they needed to do.”
In its memorandum of demands, BCDF demanded an update on the repair work. In October, the City of Cape Town said its Recreation and Parks Department said the Athlone pool was scheduled to open on 17 November, but remained closed due to disrepair.
Ward councillor Rashid Adams says: “There were problems at this pool which prevented them from opening, including the pumps that were not working properly... Then something else went wrong and then the plate at the bottom went rusty and they had to replace that.
“Also the clarity of the water was a problem and that was because of sand and glass coming through the pumps and that was a serious concern.”
National Coloured Congress provincial secretary Paul Bester says: “If you go to Sea Point swimming pools, it’s open basically the whole year... So why is it that the community of the Cape Flats are not allowed to spend time in swimming pools which is paid for by us as the ratepayer?”
Mayco member for Community Services and Health, Patricia van der Ross said final testing was conducted yesterday and that the pool is scheduled to open today barring any complications.