Once more, the ANC/ActionSA led Tshwane Council has failed the residents of Laudium and more particularly the youth, concerning efficient service delivery.
This follows yet again, the closure of the Council owned Swimming Pool on 8th Ave, in Laudium. Apparently the swimming pool has been closed for months, but the closure was conveniently not reported to the community by the local Councillors or the Council and more so no feedback has been given as to when the community can expect the pools to be opened again. According to residents who recently complained to the Laudium Sun, the swimming pool has been closed for a few months with Council employees at the pool claiming that it was closed due to a ‘water shortage.’ Some residents claimed that the pool has be closed before the December holidays and expressed their anger for the pool not being opened during this holiday break. Residents said that the Council should have been sympathetic towards the school going kids who were deprived of this important public amenity during the summer holidays, more so as the pools at least kept the kids out of mischief and away from drugs.
Rajesh Pillay, a concerned resident from the nearby Crimson Street told the Laudium Sun, “The swimming pool in Laudium has been closed since August of last year. It’s a shame that the Council has allowed this Olympic-sized swimming pool to remain empty, constantly blaming the low water levels due to the water shortage, which to me is certainly not the real issue. The Tshwane Council is wasting money paying workers to be at the pool daily while the swimming pool is closed most of the time. What’s the point of paying salaries to workers when they simply sit around, making coffee and tea?”
Another Crimson Street resident, Villason Padaychy, added: “The officials at the Laudium Swimming Pool explained that there is a water shortage, but I believe the real issue is the lack of cleaning materials, which the Council refuses to purchase, saying there are no funds. But to me it is because they are awarding tenders with inflated prices to their pals and thus diverting that money into their pockets. There is plenty of water; the issue is that they don’t want to spend money on cleaning materials, and this is causing our children to suffer, being deprived of such an important public facility, especially during weekends and the school holidays.”
Padaychy said he believes the issue is not water, but that the Council doesn’t want to spend money on cleaning material.
Mano Naido, also from Crimson Street, said: “This country is being ruined by corruption and government negligence. We pay taxes, especially here in Laudium, where we pay high property rates, but the services we get are terrible. How is it that an Olympic-sized swimming pool in Laudium has been laying unused for months? The lack of recreational options for our children in Laudium is one of the reasons why they turn to drugs. With no entertainment left, the children resort to unhealthy activities. The pool was their last source of fun, but now even that has been taken away. The people running the swimming pool are incompetent, and the community must stand up against this heartless Tshwane Council. They are doing nothing for us. Laudium is full of drug dealers with the local cops knowing very well who they are and our children passing some of these houses on their way to school. If basic sporting and recreational facilities are not provided for these kids, they could so easily turn to drugs due to boredom. Then the Tshwane Council and the local Councillors and the cops should be held responsible.”
