Mike Kamionka wrote in with the following:
Share this:Don’t know where to post this rather sad story, but here goes!: (article dated May 2017). I was there last week and saw it for myself.
A two-year upgrade to restore one of Durban’s iconic beachfront swimming pools to its former glory has ground to a halt and now it is just an eyesore.
The Rachel Finlayson pool — once a major beachfront attraction – now stands empty‚ surrounded by overgrown grass and shrubs. Stagnating water from recent rains is pooled at the bottom.
An upgrade worth more than R4-million began in 2015 and was‚ according to reports‚ supposed to be completed within a year.
Municipal spokesman Tozi Mthethwa said: “The work on the Rachel Finlayson swimming pool was halted in order to allow the City the appropriate time to procure a finishing contract within this financial year.”
Democratic Alliance councillor Peter Graham‚ who sits on the city’s security and emergency services sub-committee‚ described the state of public pool as “shocking”.
“When you have a budget allocated‚ it’s for the entire project. I want to know where are the pubic funds that have been spent on this…? It’s so far from finished. It hasn’t changed in about three years. There are two security guards sitting there. This is another example of complete wastage of ratepayer’s money‚” he said.
“It looks as if any attempt to restore this icon of the Durban beachfront where so many of us did 1000’s of lengths in the 70’s and 80’s has been abandoned. When grass and shrubbery can be seen growing through the building material it is plain for the world to see the city has lost interest.”
Graham said the city’s treatment of the public asset was “completely unacceptable”.
Link to see the photos.
http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/2017/05/03/once-iconic-durban-beachfront-pool-now-an-eyesore
Isabel Young
Hi Allan not sure if this is something you can answer for me it’s a bit of a family argument. We lived in Durban until we returned to the UK in 1978.
The question is: do you know exactly when the Funworld/cable cars were built on the beachfront.
I would love to hear from you.