A public swimming pool project that broke ground in 1998 has become a source of deep frustration for residents of Katlehong, standing as a crumbling monument to neglected promises and wasted millions.
The pool, initially envisioned as a hub for youth development and community upliftment, has never been operational. Now, the City of Ekurhuleni has confirmed the core reason for its abandonment: the land on which it was built is geologically unstable.
“Frustrated residents of Katlehong who were looking forward to using a public swimming pool this summer say that they feel neglected by the city,” the report states, highlighting the ongoing disappointment in a community still waiting for a facility promised over a quarter-century ago.
According to a city official, the project’s fatal flaw was only discovered years after construction began. “The swimming pool opened in 1998,” the official said, using the term to describe the start of construction. However, a widespread geotechnical investigation in 2012 revealed the site contained dolomite, a porous and unstable rock formation that makes the land unsafe for such a structure.
Despite attempts over the years to repair and maintain the facility, the discovery of dolomite rendered the project unviable. The city now says it does not have the funds to rectify the situation or build a replacement.
“Our current budget… is 30 million, and 14 million of that comes from the province, which is to build libraries. So we are left with 16 million,” explained the Member of the Mayoral Committee for Community Services. “On the 16 million, we’ve got… 16 pools which are still currently not opened because of repairs and maintenance.”
The Katlehong pool is just one of many aquatic facilities in crisis within the municipality. Out of 38 public swimming pools in Ekurhuleni, only 16 are currently functioning, leaving communities across the city without a vital recreational resource, especially during the summer months.
For the people of Katlehong, the empty pool basin is more than just an unfinished project; it is a daily reminder of a benefit they were never allowed to receive and a symbol of a development dream that collapsed long before the concrete ever could.