City pool still remains dry
Millions sunk into the upgrade but renovations have come to a halt; ratepayers seek answers
THE RACHEL Finlayson pool, situated at North Beach still remains dry. Last year a R4.2-million tender was awarded for the upgrading of tiles in the pool .
Part of the renovations included changing the colour of the tiles after swimmers claimed that the dark tiles would be a safety risk, for darkskinned people, if they got into difficulties when swimming under the water.
The renovations have come to a standstill and ratepayers are seeking answers from the city.
Earlier this year the city told City Watch that the work on the pool was halted to allow the appropriate time to procure a finishing contract within this financial year.
It was not clear why the previous contractor could not finish the work.
North Beach ANC ward councillor, Bongumusa Dlamini said he had tried to get an update from the parks and recreation unit on why the previous contractor, Zalom Builders and Civil Works would not finish the work.
He said he was also awaiting a report on the progress.
“It has been long overdue and I have been getting a lot of complaints from residents.
The pool is not only for North Beach residents, but for greater Durban areas and visitors. Residents are asking persistently during community meetings. I will have to do my own investigations to get a proper update on the progress,” he said. Dlamini promised to have the full details by next week.
Residents raised concerns citing poor management within the city.
They complained that there was a shortage of swimming pools during holidays, as more people visited beaches during the summer.
Abraham Singh said when the city closed the pool they were hoping that when it reopened, it would be improved and safer for swimmers.
“We could not use the pool during the last summer season but it was for a good reason because it was under construction. We were told that the renovations would be finished by February (this year). We were not informed about what caused the delay or whether the city ran out of budget. It is very irritating,” said Singh.
Another North Beach resident, Thabo Ngalo criticised the city for failing to solve a minor issue which is affecting the tourism destination.
“I remember, in a community meeting before the pool was vandalised, we were told it will take a few months to repair and upgrade. It is worrying that R4.2-million was spent but nothing came out of that money. What are they going to do now? Sink more millions in this dry pool?” asked Ngalo.
ethekwini Municipality spokesperson Tozi Mthethwa said in the last financial year, the rehabilitation of the Rachel Finlayson Pool posed a significant challenge as the full scope of the repair work to be undertaken could only be determined once the concrete walls and floors of the pool were exposed.
“The original scope of work was to eliminate the significant amounts of daily water loss experienced at the pool. This comprised of crack repairs to the pool walls and floor, among other issues that needed to be addressed.
The buttressed walls were relatively thin and prone to cracking under load and the pool floor appeared to be uncharacteristically disjointed. This observation explained the significant daily water loss experienced at the pool,” she said.
She said a report was submitted to the Bid Adjudication Committee in terms of the supply chain management policy, for the necessary repair work to be undertaken.
No time frame has been given as to when the renovations would be complete or when the pool could be in use.