The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Dawid Kruiper has called on the Municipal Manager, Elias Ntoba, to take action to ensure that the municipal swimming pool in Upington is made safe for public use and to urgently restore functionality of the Rosedale swimming pool.
This comes after a 21-year-old man drowned at the pool on Christmas day. The drowning was preceded by another drowning incident at the same pool in February 2024.
The DA submitted an urgent motion to the Speaker, Melanie Dodds, in December 2025, calling on Council to urgently investigate the drowning and determine the municipality’s responsibility towards members of the public making use of the pool. The family deserves answers, including whether there were lifesavers on duty and if so, how many, what the ratio of lifeguards to community members was, and whether they were adequately trained for the job. We also want to know whether there were controls in place to prevent alcohol use on the premises.
A lifeguard’s most important role is the prevention of drowning incidents. Both deaths due to drowning are deeply tragic, even more so as they could have potentially been prevented. A repeat incident must never be allowed to recur.
The DA has yet to receive any kind of response from the Speaker in relation to the DA’s motion. We will not let the matter rest and have referred our concerns to the municipal manager.
It is critical that an immediate intervention plan is implemented to prevent further drownings. This must also include the operationalisation of the abandoned Rosedale swimming pool, to avoid overcrowding. Answers in relation to the municipality’s responsibility for pool safety at Olivier Park, which is under private management, despite the lack of a contractual agreement between the municipality and a private entity, are also necessary to safeguard residents, and protect the municipality from potential liability.
The DA will continue to hold the municipality accountable to ensure the people of Upington can enjoy safe swimming facilities, where recreation and enjoyment doesn’t end in heartbreak.