Newlands residents demand action on swimming pool closed for 13 years
Community leader, Nicholas Johnson, chairperson of the ACDP for Ward 11, has been vocal about the impact of the closure.
Frustrated residents of Newlands East and West are demanding urgent intervention from the eThekwini Municipality over the state of the Newlands Swimming Pool, which has been closed for more than a decade.
Once a vital recreational hub, the facility has stood idle for 13 years, leaving thousands of residents across Newlands West, Newlands East, KwaMashu, Siyanda, Sea Cow Lake, and Parlock without access to a safe community pool.
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Community leader, Nicholas Johnson, chairperson of the ACDP for Ward 11, has been vocal about the impact of the closure. “The Newlands East Swimming Pool is a white elephant. It has been out of order for the last 13 years. We don’t have many facilities in ward 11, and it is really heartbreaking that our community is overlooked,” Johnson said.
He also highlighted the broader lack of sports facilities in the area, describing the state of the John Dory netball and basketball courts as ‘a disgrace’, and lamenting the absence of a proper indoor soccer court.
“With summer upon us, families should be enjoying time at the pool, with children and adults learning to swim. Instead, our youth are left without safe recreational spaces. How can we hope to nurture the next generation of sports stars if we don’t provide facilities to support them?” Johnson asked.
Beyond recreation, residents stress that the pool’s closure raises serious safety concerns. With high drowning rates in the province, the lack of accessible swimming facilities denies children and adults the chance to learn essential water safety skills. Johnson pointed out that no schools in Newlands East or West are equipped with swimming pools.
“Swimming is a life skill in a country where beaches and rivers are part of everyday life. This pool should have been a priority long ago,” Johnson added.
Cllr Allan Peterson echoed Johnson’s sentiment, saying ward 11 was in critical need of more recreational facilities.
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“The Newlands pool could be an asset to the community. People can’t afford to travel to other areas or the beach just to enjoy a swim. The cost of living in 2025 doesn’t allow people those extravagances. I am working towards getting the pool up and running, and I am constantly engaging the municipality in that regard. From my interaction, because of budgeting procedures, work towards this could begin in January 2026,” said Cllr Peterson.
A comment on this matter had not been received from the eThekwini Municipality at the time of publication.
