The Laudium Swimming Pools are finally once more open to the public, after an all too long closure.

About a year back the Tshwane Council closed the public amenity citing lack of funds to maintain the pools and to buy the necessary chemicals to keep the pools clean. The pools were officially opened this week, much to the joy of local residents. Residents, especially those living in the area, were however skeptical as to whether the pool would remain open for the entire summer season and said that they just hope that the Council would not come with another ‘excuse’, and close the pools before the end of the season. 28-year-old Shaheed Daniel of Emerald Street told the Laudium Sun, “I am happy that the Council has again opened the public swimming pool, as my friends and I have been waiting for a long time for the Council to re-open it. We have been waiting for about a year for this swimming pool to open. Just when the last summer started and as we were starting to enjoy swimming at the pool, the Council closed the pools at the peak time of the December holidays and the hot summer. At the time when we enquired why the Council had closed the pool, they told us that it was closed because a certain pipe at the swimming pool was broken and that the Council did not have money to fix it. We are now calling on the Council not to disappoint us residents by closing the pools again before the end of summer and to make sure that the pools are regularly maintained, so that the residents of Laudium and Erasmia can enjoy themselves.

The Council has been playing with us for two years by opening and closing this public pool, without prior notice or even informing us what the problem was each time. The holidays are looming and it will be hot especially during December. Many of us have nowhere to go, especially the youth, so I just hope we do not have a problem this time.” 20 year-old Abigail Joseph from Onyx Street said all she wants is to swim now, because for months she has been waiting for the Council to re-open the swimming pool. “Summer is here and we are going to experience rising temperatures especially in December and January. We as residents therefore need this swimming pool, which was built for our benefit and use,” Abigail said.

20-year-old Thando Masego of Emerald Street, Laudium said, “The people working at the Council owned swimming pool must make sure that this time it is well maintained. There are some students who want to take part in swimming as a sport, but they can’t do that if the swimming pool is more closed than open. I agree that residents also have a role to play in that they should take care and not be negligent when using this swimming pool.”

Mahamed Ahmed, the owner of Desi Supermarket, which is at the corner of Aquamarine Street and 8th Ave near the Laudium Swimming Pool said, “I lost lots of customers when the swimming pool was closed. Most of my customers were the children who were visiting the swimming pool and business was good then, because even the adult visitors coming to the swimming pools were supporting me. Since Covid-19, this swimming pool has been closing and opening and we don’t even know why the Council was doing that. They never even bothered to inform the community what was happening. I find the ANC government useless, I prefer the EFF because Malema is doing a great job in helping the poor.”