R6 million later and Durban's Rachel Finlayson pool still out of action

After spending more than R6 million on repairs, structural problems have ensured that the beachfront Rachel Finlayson pool remains closed during the current school holidays. Now a source says that ratepayers will be required to pay a further R2m to complete the delayed renovations.

The pool has been closed to the public since its “rehabilitation” began in August 2015. In July, the Daily News reported that eThekwini Municipality had run out of funds to complete the project. However, the city denied this and promised it would be finished in two to three months. However a source close to the project, who cannot be named, told the Daily News “too much politics and corruption were the root cause” of the delay.

About R6.2m has been pumped into the project thus far and, according to the source, a further R2 million would be needed to complete it - by the end of the year or early next year. “Even the engineers have failed to identify the problem now. Initially, when the pool was first refurbished for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, it was discovered that the carcass (structure) of the pool was made with bricks instead of concrete. That caused water to seep through the bricks and that created a huge problem,” the source said.

“The fault has since been repaired but a new problem has been identified. The pool was 100m long and was later divided, and that is when the problem started because landscaping, among other things, was not taken into consideration. “There is a piping problem now which causes the water to disappear. At the bottom and at the brim of the pool there are pipes which work with the pool pump and filter. When the water seeps through the pipes at the brim of the pool, it doesn’t circulate through the filter. It is not known where it ends up.”

The pool’s structural set-up was apparently not considered when the initial contractor worked on refurbishing it, lifting the stairs without considering the height and how the tiling on the surface would be affected. The initial contract for the work in 2015 was expected to cost R4.2 million and was due for completion in February 2016. In July Mandla Nsele, the municipality’s spokesperson, said the refurbishment of the pool had experienced numerous unforeseen challenges, given that no information existed for the facility. He added that the rehabilitation started in 2015, before the Commonwealth Games bid considerations, at a cost of R3.73m.

This included structural rehabilitation, re-tiling and replacement of circulation pipework. He had said the work was expected to be completed in two to three months. Mayor Zandile Gumede yesterday said she would speak to the city’s operations people for details as to why the refurbishment had been delayed. A Daily News Backchatter said that, with regard to the pool, the city was doing as it wished with its purse at the taxpayer’s expense. “We walk past that pool and imagine people living in that area who have to wake up to that eyesore on a daily basis.

“This is frustrating. Durban is a prime destination, especially during holidays, and in December in particular. Someone must do something about this,” said the Backchatter. The pool development comes as the city is involved in a R300m extension of the promenade, which will run from Blue Lagoon to the harbour mouth. Thembinkosi Ngcobo, the city’s head of Parks and Recreation, said there were issues with the pool, and blamed the architecture department for the matter.

“We can’t be protecting them when they fail to do their job. We have had meetings with them, but we don’t get answers. They have consultants, but whenever we seek answers, none are forthcoming. When I went to the pool with councillors, even though I’m not an expert I immediately saw that there were problems. How can they not see that, yet they are experts? The budget to fix that has since ballooned to around R7m, as opposed to the initial budget of about R3m,” he said.