A two-year upgrade to restore Durban's iconic beachfront swimming pool to its former glory has ground to a halt and now it is just an eyesore.
The Rachel Finlayson pool, once a major beachfront attraction, now stands empty, surrounded by overgrown grass and shrubs. Stagnating water from recent rains is pooled at the bottom.
An upgrade of more than R4-million began in 2015 and was, according to reports, supposed to be completed within a year.
Municipal spokesman Tozi Mthethwa said: "The work on the Rachel Finlayson swimming pool was halted to allow the city appropriate time to procure a finishing contract within this financial year."
DA councillor Peter Graham, who sits on the city's security and emergency services subcommittee, said: The state of the pool is shocking. It looks as if any attempt to restore this beachfront icon, where so many of us did thousands of lengths in the '70s and '80s, has been abandoned."
He said the city's treatment of the public asset was "unacceptable".
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