Africa-Press – South-Africa. The swimming pool in Newlands, Cape Town, is open to the public.
It had been closed for five years due to renovations. The facility had a major revamp and reopened last weekend. There have, however, been mixed reactions.
The mayoral committee member for community services and health, Patricia van der Ross, said the upgrade cost the City R28 million.
“This included three phases, which saw upgrades to the basin, electrical and mechanical systems, and the grandstand. The pool has a significant historical value, leading to additional cost implications to maintain the pool’s status,” said Van der Ross.
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She said the plant room and the commentator box had to be serviced carefully, in order to protect its heritage status.
The facility, for now, can only accommodate up to 600 people due to Covid-19 regulations.
News24 spoke to several people who spent the day at the pools over the weekend.
A resident of Hanover Park, Christopher Grant, said he and his family couldn’t control their excitement when they entered the grounds.
“It was good to be back at the pools. The facility was clean, lifeguards were on duty, and everyone was having a great time,” he said.
Grant said his concern was the entry fee. He said:
Grant said it was an amazing experience for his kids as they got to swim with some ducklings, who also came out to enjoy the pool.
It will cost adults between R18 and R32 to enter the facility, while disabled people and pensioners do not have to pay.
“The increase is due to a lapse of five years, where all pool tariffs were amended annually on 1 July. There will be a public participation process regarding tariffs for the use of City facilities, and I encourage residents to participate in this process. Details will be shared when this process is underway,” said Van der Ross.
A resident of Ocean View, Nawahl Levendall Ismail, said her experience at the pool was “lovely”.
“It was the first time my kids got to experience the iconic Newlands pools, and they loved it. We are regulars at the Long Street baths, and the price we paid there is similar to that of Newlands, so it wasn’t really an issue for us,” she said.
Patronella Christina du Toit said she was quite shocked by the price.
Her entire family had decided to see the newly revamped pools.
Budgeted
“We were seven family members that went, and it cost us nearly R200 for the day. It is not what we budgeted for, but now we know we need to plan properly,” she said.
The ward councillor, Mikhail Manuel, said he was delighted the pool had reopened.
“I’m quite relieved that we are at this point right now as the residents have been very eager for it to open. Over the last couple of months, I’ve received lots of queries asking me when the pool was opening, so I’m quite happy that at least our residents will get to enjoy the last couple of hot days here,” said Manuel.
After the Easter weekend, Van der Ross said all pools would close, excluding the indoor facility in Strand and the Sea Point pools.
“The Newlands pool will be open to the public for an extended period until the end of May. Lifeguards will be on duty every day that the pools are opened,” she said.
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