Civic organisations and ratepayers across Cape Town have sounded a sharp warning to the City, accusing officials of turning their backs on working class communities at the height of summer. The anger has been fuelled by the weekday closure of community swimming pools, a move residents say strips families of one of the few safe and affordable spaces available during school afternoons and heatwave conditions.
The dispute has rapidly escalated beyond complaints, with community groupings organising formal correspondence, mobilising residents and signalling their readiness to take to the streets if their demands are ignored. For many involved, the issue has become symbolic of a wider struggle over fairness, access to public services and how municipal priorities are decided.
Promises Questioned And Trust Tested
In their joint correspondence, civic bodies challenged the City’s credibility, pointing to earlier public commitments that pools would remain operational throughout the peak season. The letter accuses officials of either misleading residents or quietly changing course once budgets were already approved, leaving communities feeling excluded from decisions that directly affect their daily lives.
The letter states
The City has just closed the community pools during the week – for the hottest months of the year in Cape Town Last year the City did the same
and goes on to question the integrity of municipal planning. For residents, the issue is not only about swimming facilities but about whether assurances from City leadership can be trusted.
Safety Livelihoods And Social Equity
Community organisations argue that local pools play a vital role far beyond recreation. They describe them as safe havens for children, spaces for physical activity for adults and seniors, and seasonal employment hubs that circulate income within already strained neighbourhoods. The weekday closures, they argue, hit hardest in areas with limited alternatives.
The groups wrote
The community pools are located in areas such as Athlone Bonteheuwel Delft Hanover Park Khayelitsha Langa Manenberg Woodstock etc where there are very limited recreational resources available to the community
adding that the contrast with better resourced suburbs exposes a deep inequality in how public money is spent and who ultimately benefits from it.
City Response And Pilot Reopening Plan
The City has pushed back against accusations of neglect, with the Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health outlining a revised operational plan. According to the City, pools will reopen for additional weekdays as part of a pilot programme intended to balance access, maintenance demands and staff wellbeing during the latter part of the season.
Explaining the rationale, she said
This will be piloted at all swimming pools for the rest of the season ending April 6 to assess demand and viability
and added that closures were linked to maintenance needs and operational sustainability. While the announcement has eased some immediate pressure, civic groups have made it clear that they will continue to monitor the situation closely and expect long term guarantees rather than temporary concessions.
