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Blessings Chidakwa Municipal Correspondent
Rusty gates and fences on the verge of collapse, wilting flowers, weeds and discoloured walls crying out for a fresh coat of paint characterise most of the council-run swimming pools in Harare.
The yesteryear blue waters are all gone.
City of Harare runs 13 swimming pools used by communities, schools, pre-schools, army, police, clubs and individuals.
The council’s main facility is the Les Brown Swimming Pool located next to the Harare Gardens in the central business district, while others are in Avondale, Mabelreign, Highlands, Hatfield, Arcadia, Mbare, Greendale, Mufakose, Cranborne, Mt Pleasant, Highfield and Waterfalls.
While most swimming pools in low density areas are still functional, those in high density suburbs are in a state of dysfunction.
The swimming pool in Mufakose, which used to serve communities as far as Dzivaresekwa and Kambuzuma closed in October last year due to operational challenges.
Since its closure, the water in the swimming pool has not been drained and has turned green and murky. If the swimming pool is to re-open, it will take a bit of work.
A worker who declined to be named said staff shortages was a major challenge.
“We closed down in October last year due to lack of water treatment chemicals,” said the worker.
“Some facilities like the showers are no longer being used due to staff shortages, we used to be more than six workers, but there are only two of us left, so we can no longer afford to offer all the services.
“There is no hope that the pool will open anytime soon as our head of section said funds are yet to be secured for the procurement of the chemicals.”
A Dzivaresekwa resident, Mr Tashinga Meza (33) bemoaned the poor state of Mufakose pool.
“During my teenage days, we used to swim in council-run swimming pools,” he said. “The nearest pool was in Mufakose, so we would walk from Dzivaresekwa by-passing Kuwadzana and Crowborough paddocks to access it.
“It was one of the best experience I had while growing up. During our days, cases of drug abuse were minimal as we utilised our time on recreational activities. It is a pity that these facilities are slowly turning into white elephants.”
Highfield swimming pool is in an even worse shape. The gate and fences at the entrance to the swimming pool are slowly disintegrating due to rust.
Local residents gave conflicting timeframes on when the pool closed, with some saying it was last year, while others said it was in 2018.
Behind the pool, a large dump of empty bottles is taking shape and no one seems to be concerned about the development.
At Mabelreign swimming pool, an employee was busy putting final touches on rehabilitation works yesterday, but the general ambience was not pleasing, with rust fence falling apart.
The lawn is not being maintained, flowers are wilting, while the parking lot is shrouded with weeds.
The local authority spokesperson Mr Michael Chideme said the economic challenges bedevilling the country was making it difficult for Harare to perform like any other business.
“We have 13 swimming pools, of which 11 are functional,” he said.
“Of the 11 functional, some have closed down due to challenges of water treatment chemicals, including HTH and chlorine because of cash flows we are experiencing as an economy.
“However, we have identified partners we are working with to assist in some of the things, there are communities that are also ready to work with us.”
Despite Mr Chideme’s claims, Harare seems reluctant to refurbish its recreational facilities.
In 2017, the city officials made similar claims of looking for partners after Auditor-General Mildred Chiri urged council to attend to the state of deteriorating recreational facilities.
The city officials then said they were engaging main users to provide funds and consumables on Public Private Partnerships arrangement.
“Swimming pools should be repaired and water treated,” said the city in response to the Auditor General’s report.
“Recreational parks should be maintained, non-functional public toilets repaired and sporting facilities repaired.”
Online Reporter