Disgruntled Newlands East and West residents are calling on eThekwini Municipality to have the local swimming pool cleaned as they claim that it is now a neglected ‘white elephant’ that attracts mosquitoes, bugs and criminals who use it as a hide-out spot.
The residents also claim that there is an unbearable stench coming from dirty water in the swimming pool, which has not been operational for over six years. Newlands West resident, Lena Jugdutt, who has lived in the area for 32 years said she constantly has to stock-up on bug and mosquito sprays as these unwanted ‘visitors’ get inside her house all the time. “As a family, we can’t even sit outside in the yard as there is a lot of mosquitoes. Also, there is a terrible smell coming from the swimming pool, which is located across from my home. We are appealing to the municipality to come to our aid and have the pool cleaned and also drain the remaining dirty water inside the swimming pool,” said Jugdutt.
Jugdutt stated that her brother sometimes cleans the outside of the pool to keep it tidy. “This swimming pool has been non-operational for over six years and we miss it. It used to be a vibrant place where community members used to meet and socialise. Yes, we understand that due to Covid it has been closed, but Covid started two years ago. Why not clean and maintain it even though it is closed,” she said. Ward 11 and 37 PR Councillor Sakhile Mngadi said he has received numerous complaints regarding the issue. “Residents feel that the mosquitoes and odours are stemming from poor maintenance of the pool and that there is a build up of dirty water which attracts these mosquitoes. This is affecting their quality of life. Upon inspection of the pool, I found that there was water. This is a matter that needs extensive investigation, to find out if the pool is really the source of these mosquitoes that are affecting residents around it. Upon my oversight, I did find that the building is in quite a bad state, they are not maintaining the offices and the actual pool building. Even within the pool itself, the tiles are falling apart. This is a matter that requires the city to invest resources in investigating the state of the pool. Understandably, during Covid, our public pools are closed, however post-Covid, we hope that the pool will be sorted out and ready to open by the time we get over the pandemic.”
Another resident, Bongani Duma, said the neglected pool is also attracting criminals as there are no streetlights and lights inside the premises. “We have had numerous robberies outside the pool because it is dark. There is a pathway used by residents from the bus stop to the main road. Preying criminals rob unsuspecting residents coming from work. The area around the pool is dark. We miss having our swimming pool and we would love for it to return to its former glory,” said Duma. Duma added that the swimming pool is the only recreational facility they have to keep their children busy. “Children are now bored and have nothing to do as there are no parks or outdoor gyms nearby. What makes the situation worse is that the swimming pool has now been vandalised as some burglar-guards have been removed and there are paintings on the wall,” he said. EThekwini Municipality spokesperson, Msawakhe Mayisela said: “Despite city swimming pools remaining closed due to pandemic related safety reasons, we do acknowledge the complaints by the Newlands community. The pool has been drained for repairs and stench reported by residents may be from stagnant rainwater. This will be addressed.”
