City hopes to open 95% of its pools by Spring Day
ABOUT 95% of the City of Joburg’s swimming pools will be open by September 1.
This is the promise of the member of the mayoral committee for community of development, Nonhlanhla Sifumba, who has visited, and will be visiting, a number of pools and recreational facilities over the next month.
These facilities are managed by the sports and recreation directorate, which falls under the community development department.
Last year, she said, for the first time in the history of the city, 90% of pools opened on time.
“This achievement last year was quite encouraging and heartening. This year, I have revised the target upward, and aim to ensure that at least 95% of the pools are opened in time for the swimming season,” she added.
The city has decentralised the repairs and maintenance function to the owners of the facilities to ensure that the required repairs are carried out with the urgency they deserve, she noted.
The winter months were used to conduct repairs and maintenance.
Sifumba confirmed the good news that the Noordgesig pool, which was closed last season, would be opened this season.
Jeffrey March, on behalf of the community, said: “We were deprived of a full season last year due to adjacent construction work, of which all the risky work, including trenches, roads and the park, is now complete. Our community can ill-afford another season without this vital recreational facility to counter youth boredom and criminality,” he said.