CORRUPTION GELVANDALE POOL UPGRADES @KASIBC_NEWS

CORRUPTION GELVANDALE POOL UPGRADES @KASIBC_NEWS 

The Democratic Alliance (DA) is calling for parliamentary scrutiny into alleged corruption surrounding the R7 million government-funded upgrade of the Gelvandale Swimming Pool in Gqeberha.

This project was funded by the National Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, headed up by Patriotic Alliance (PA) president, Minister Gayton McKenzie.

Serious irregularities arose as the project started in secrecy without following the processes required when embarking on a publicly funded capital project. The contractor did not report to the ward councillor who would ordinarily introduce the contractor to the local SMME formation for local businesses to benefit. 

The contractor is from Johannesburg and previously stated, in front of several DA councillors, that he is a PA member in good standing and therefore he can do as he pleases and nothing can happen to him.

On Friday, 30 May 2025, we were joined by DA National Spokesperson on Sport, Arts and Culture, Joe McGluwa MP, and DA National Deputy Spokesperson on Sport, Arts and Culture, Liam Jacobs MP, and conducted an oversight inspection at the pool and believe the upgrades that were completed could not have cost more than R2 million.

Six shutdown valves were purchased. Additionally, roof sheets were replaced, plumbing in the toilets was redone, partial tiling was completed in the toilets and office and benches were tiled. New stainless-steel railings and handles were also installed at the diving pool.

However, some key renovations were never attended to. These include:

All three pools in the complex are still leaking.

The pool coping was not repaired. Pool coping refers to the material or edging that surrounds a swimming pool. If the pool coping is uneven and damaged, it can pose a serious safety hazard.

The window frames of buildings were supposed to be replaced with aluminium ones; however, the old frames were simply painted over.

The pool was never officially signed off by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture after upgrades were completed. Therefore, it was illegal for the facility to open to the public. The pool and its facilities also lack a maintenance plan.

The DA will write to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Sport, Arts and Culture requesting an urgent investigation.

Some of the questions we will raise for scrutiny in parliament, include:

What process was followed in the appointment of the contractor?

What are the official details of the appointed contractor?

How much was paid over to the contract and from what budget was the project funded?

What was the scope of the work of what was required to restore the swimming pool?

What process was followed in selecting SMMEs?

This overspending and unwillingness to account lends significant credence to serious allegations that the PA has channelled millions of rand from this project into its election campaign in Nelson Mandela Bay. It also explains the secrecy surrounding the scope of work, exact expenditure, and whether required processes for public capital projects were followed.

The DA has never stopped fighting to ensure that all pools in the metro are open to all communities, but this cannot come at the cost of alleged corruption, nepotism, and cheap electioneering.