South African city spends R1.27 million a month on security for public pools that remain closed

The City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality spends R1.27 million every single month on security for its public swimming pools.

Despite this, 32 of the metro’s 37 public swimming pools remain closed and out of service, leaving just 5 pools open for use by Ekurhuleni residents.

This was recently revealed by the Gauteng MEC for Infrastructure Development and COGTA, Jacob Mamabolo, before the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL).

The MEC also revealed that the Ekurhuleni administration has spent over R9.1 million on repairs, maintenance, and chemicals for the closed pools.

GPL Member Khathutshelo Rasilingwane described the spending of money on security and maintenance for facilities which remain closed to the public as “completely outrageous”.

“Public swimming pools are not a luxury,” Rasilingwane said. “They are important for children’s safety.”

Rasilingwane pointed to a recent incident from June 2025, in which the bodies of two Grade 5 learners from Dan Radebe Primary School in Duduza were discovered in a pond.

In another incident from October that year, seven-year-old Tumelo Masako drowned while swimming in a trench at an abandoned municipal construction site in Tsakane.

“These heartbreaking tragedies remind us why safe and accessible public swimming facilities are important,” Rasilingwane said.

“It cannot be that children in Tembisa, Reiger Park, KwaThema, and many other communities are still forced to play in dumpsites and to swim in sewage or abandoned ponds.”

While the MEC identified ten security service providers in his response to the swimming pool probe, he was unable to properly account for the expenditure.

This, Rasilingwane said, raised concerns around potential corruption, procurement irregularities, and continuous misuse of public funds.

She demanded a full investigation into the security contracts and expenditures, with any officials or contractors implicated in wrongdoing held accountable.

This includes a full audit of all public swimming pools in Ekurhuleni and a costed, publicly available reopening plan.

Rasilingwane also said she would submit a Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) application to gain access to all records and contracts related to the swimming pools.

“Ekurhuleni residents deserve working public facilities, not millions spent guarding locked gates,” Rasilingwane said.