KROONVALE NEWS - Many Kroonvale residents have fond memories of growing up with the excitement of weekends spent at the Deon Adams swimming pool.
The pool, opened in April 1991, was commissioned by the then House of Representatives, and named after the Western Cape MEC responsible for Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation.
For many years, it provided a welcome relief from the heat of the hot Karoo summers, and children and adults alike took great delight in the cooling pool, with a large shallow end for those who couldn't swim to play around.
About 10 years or so ago, the pool was closed, and the lack of maintenance soon left the building in a state of disrepair. The walls were covered with graffiti, roofing material stolen and the whole area was a dreadful eyesore. Children were then left with only muddy rainwater pools to play in unless they were fortunate enough to have transport to the dam or caravan park pools.
Mid August 2016, the municipality demolished the pool buildings. This caused a great deal of outrage, as there was no consultation with the community prior to the destruction of the infrastructure.
No consideration was allegedly given to the several constructive proposals put forward by local business people to the then municipal Manager, rev. Martin Noel Pietersen, and Mayor Hannah Makoba.
About 10 years ago the pool was closed, and lack of maintenance soon left the building in a state of disrepair.
Two submissions were made to council by cllr. Samantha Graham, questioning who made the decisions to knock it down - no response was ever received.
It seems that this once beautiful recreation area, with an abundance of shady trees, has now become a general dumping ground for the town.
All and sundry, from private contractors, members of the public, and even municipal vehicles, are regularly seen dumping not only building rubble but also solid waste and garden refuse in the area.
After a recent post on social media, which published photos showing bakkies offloading rubbish in the area at the end of last month, concern was expressed at the general lawlessness and lack of enforcement of regulations in the municipality.
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