Eastridge swimming pool reopened on Friday 3 October amid much fanfare.
The unusual interest in the pool’s reopening was due to the long periods of time it had been closed or opened late over the last few summers. The City has been forced to close the pool multiple times due to repeated vandalism and theft which has cost more than R2 million to repair since 2021.
Ward councillor Norman Adonis said the pool did not open in 2021 and 2022 and last year it opened late. The pool has been vandalised 15 times since 2021, he said and the biggest damage is to the tiles.
“At night, people throw bricks over the fence into the pool and it cracks the tiles,” Adonis said. “And then the whole pool has to be drained so that we can fix the tiles.”
Adonis said the copper piping, basins, taps and CCTV cameras have been stolen while the fence, roof and pool tiles are repeatedly broken.
“It was fixed and then last year the pool was opened for two weeks, before it was vandalised again,” he said.
“I’m grateful that everything was fixed and I’m grateful for the number of lifeguards we have here,” he said.
Adonis said that senior clubs and preschools are allowed to use the pool for free and the City also offers free swimming classes as part of it’s Learn To Swim programme.
“But we can’t operate the pool if it is vandalised,” he said.
The Eastridge public swimming pool was opened in the mid-90s and is one of the few public recreational facilities in the area.
