Mdantsane swimming pool a monument to ANC failure

Issued by Bill Gould Cllr – Buffalo City Metro Municipality
18 Apr 2019 in Press Statements

Exactly a year after the Buffalo City Metro set aside R3 million for upgrades to the Mdantsane NU2 swimming pool BCM and Mayor Xola Pakati turned the sod to launch the project, almost no work has been done.

This after Mayor Pakati promised that the pool, that has been closed since the 1980’s, would be open to the public  by December 2018.

I was recently joined by DA Eastern Cape Premier Candidate, Nqaba Bhanga, in conducting an oversight inspection at the swimming pool. (pictures attached here, here and here)

Other than the removal of some dilapidated brick walls and an abandoned partially-completed concrete block wall, very little has been achieved with the R3 million.

It is a disgrace that an important community facility lies derelict after 25 years of the failing ANC being responsible for its maintenance.

The Mayor is good at sod-turning but we never see completion of projects.  A similar story can be told about the R50 million resurfacing of Fleet Street in East London. The Mayor announced this project in December 2017, but it remains unfinished.

The Democratic Alliance demands a proper investigation into what happened to swimming pool upgrade funds, including a forensic audit where there is suspicion of corruption.

We will also escalate this matter to the DA EC Shadow MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Vicky Knoetze MPL, to take the issue up in the Bhisho Legislature.

A DA government will fight corruption, speed up basic service delivery and build One South Africa for All.