Joburg delays public pool reopenings until October amid funding concerns

The City of Johannesburg has postponed the scheduled reopening of its municipal swimming pools to 1 October, citing outstanding compliance and maintenance requirements, and will bring back only 36 of the 57 public pools in a staggered process. The city also said it will extend the season-closing date from 31 March to April next year.

Delay attributed to safety and operational checks

Community development MMC Thapelo Amad apologised for the delay and said the pools still needed to meet “health, safety, and operational standards” required for public amenities. Amad said the phased reopening of 36 pools would begin next month but warned that the “condition and operational requirements of facilities vary across regions” and that the city was working to resolve outstanding compliance and maintenance tasks.

Local community and councillors react

Residents and DA councillors criticised the decision, saying it penalises communities that depend on public facilities. DA councillor Bea Campbell-Cloete described Blairgowrie Recreation Centre’s pool as having been renovated by the community, saying residents had fundraised about R1 million to repair and reopen the facility.

“It was derelict. It was dirty. It was broken. The community did fundraise about R1 million and renovated the pool. They painted the pool and fixed the bathrooms, and everything needed to be fixed for the pool to be opened,”

Campbell-Cloete said she was told the pool could not be opened due to a shortage of lifeguards, and questioned that explanation because, she said, the Blairgowrie pool has a lifeguard. She added:

“Why is this community being penalised for doing the city’s job out of their own pockets? I will push for this pool to be opened.”

DA Joburg shadow MMC for community development Lyrics Mazibuko criticised the city for planning and maintenance failures and for advertising seasonal positions for lifeguards, cashiers and cloakroom attendants while still delaying openings. Mazibuko said the city has 57 public pools yet just 36 are expected to open.

“Residents should not be expected to accept that 21 public pools will be closed at the start of the swimming season,”

He added that the explanation of health, safety and operational requirements “cannot be used as a blanket excuse.”

Analyst links delays to municipal liquidity problems

Political analyst Sandile Swana said the municipality is experiencing a continuing liquidity crisis and that cash shortages are affecting service delivery and maintenance. Swana pointed to an R5.2 billion payment to Eskom as a factor that has diverted cash away from other services.

“In other words, there is not enough cash in the city to run all the services or to maintain infrastructure,”

He said the city had not provided a public breakdown showing which budget aspects were reallocated to pay Eskom, and warned that the situation would persist without competent professional management across engineering, financial and legal functions.

What will open and who is affected

The city confirmed that only 36 of 57 public pools will be brought back this season and that reopenings will be staggered. The extended season-closing date into April next year is intended to compensate for restricted access, but councillors said this does not address immediate losses of access and income for families, schools, clubs, coaches and workers.

Next steps

The city said it is working to resolve outstanding compliance and maintenance tasks ahead of the staggered openings. Councillors and community members say they will continue to press municipal officials to open pools where local fixes and staffing are in place.