Public pool closed over weekends
Alberton's public pool is closed over weekends for safety reasons.
ALBERTON – This was revealed by councillor Bruna Haipel when the RECORD forwarded an enquiry from one of our Facebook fans for comment.
“People arrive in their hundreds over weekends and they then simply take over causing a racket and often endangering the lives of other patrons to the pool. They drink, they destroy the area, the throw bottles around and we only have one lifeguard on duty who cannot cope with the number of people. In this chaos we already suffered a drowning of a 35-year-old man who was under the influence.
“SAPS and the Metro Police suggested that the pool be kept open during the week and then close down over weekends for safety reasons,” she concluded.
Comment:
This would seem like another of those cases where the symptoms are treated but the problem never addressed. How about our law enforcers make use of the laws in place and arrest the trouble makers? Public drinking is against the law. Malicious damage to property is against the law. And surely there must be some other bylaws which could also be enforced.
The result of this arrangement is that law abiding citizens again suffer at the hands and acts of those lawless people.
Surely SAPS and EMPD should be able to do something more than just make a suggestion that the pool is being kept closed over weekends? Maybe arrests under the appropriate laws is a good suggestion?
One would not even want to think about the hot December school holidays around the corner – will this result in a penalty to the children of those paying their rates and taxes and the legal residents of Alberton?
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I have witnessed first hand how these children drink and carry on at the swimming pool. At first sight of the SAPS they all run. They come in taxi loads , where the taxi drivers are given money to buy the minors alcohol. They cause trouble at the KFC, stealing from the delivery truck and giving other patrons hassles. They become violent with each other and gang up on individuals. I had to stop a fight where 4 boys aged between 12-16, were kicking and beating another boy who was about 13 years old. I was about 7 months pregnant at the time and had to help, but I did fear for my safety. I agree with the decision to close the pool, as that one life lost could be dozens more! Keep the pool for club and training purposes only.
I agree. Close down the public pools permanent and use only for private party’s/club or training.
Die SAPD het die voorstel gemaak omdat hulle dan nie nodig het om uitgeroep te word en hulle werk te gaan doen waarvoor hulle betaal word nie. Hoe dan anders as ‘n mens fotos sien waar hulle sit en braai en drink MET hulle uniforms aan terwyl hulle eintlik ‘n diens moet doen aan die publiek. Benodig jy hulle, dan het hulle nie voertuie nie of dit word in die agtergrond gesê THIS WOMAN IS MAD….. en toe hulle hoor jy het dit gehoor en jy is op pad na die stasie toe, toe word alle naam plaatjies afgehaal en weier hulle om ‘n verklaring te neem. MAAR JA ONS WOON IN “TINA” (THIS IS NEW AFRICA)!
ons bly oorkant doe swembad en kannie verduidelik watse verligting dit is omdat swembad toe is oor naweke nie ons diere is veilig en ons huise en karre in een stuk ek hoop noe doe swembad word weer op naweke oop gemaak nie die geraas..geweld en gemors is net teveel