Warwick Bruce Chapman

At the outset, I would like to extend my condolences to the family of the man who died at Lahee Park swimming pool yesterday morning.  I write this letter to ensure Pinetown Residents as well as other users of the Lahee Park swimming pool that Lifeguards were on duty at the time of his death and responded within seconds of him going under.  Lifeguards and Netcare paramedics tried in vain to resuscitate the man for over 30 minutes.  Unfortunately, the cause of his sudden death will only be known once a post mortem has been performed.  Please be reminded that people should never be swimming while under the influence of alcohol.  Anyone who is not feeling 100% should not be swimming either.  Please take care during this holiday season. — Warwick Chapman, DA Councillor

I’m extremely pleased that the pool project is nearing completion and although we did not meet the end of August deadline due to all of the wind during the month, the main pool has been filled and is just about ready to go!  The diving pool and the paddling pool should both be marbelited but the end of this coming weekend afterwhich all remains is filling them with water and cleaning up the surrounds in preparation for the reopening.  Keep an eye out for an invitation to an opening relaunch event at the pool one of these splendid spring evenings.

I’m extremely pleased this project is nearing completion both because it is another social green space which has been rehabilitated for public use but also because it does show that our local government is capable of performing desperately needed maintenance of existing infrastructure.  The renovated Lahee Park Swimming pool is the cherry on top of the ongoing cleaning and rejuvination of the Lahee Park preceinct, which now has 4 fulltime staff keeping it tidy and tending to the gardens.  One step and a time, we will get it whipped back into shape.

Note: This is an article produced for the DA West Durban Constituency Newsletter.

DA activists honour the legacy of Nelson Mandela by cleaning Crompton Park

Keeping parks clean, planting trees and providing safe spaces for people to rest and play is a priority of Warwick Chapman, the new DA councillor for Ward 18 (Westville North, Cowies Hill, & Pinetown CBD).

“Parks and other green spaces are important meeting, resting and social spaces and need to be properly maintained in order to ensure they contribute to rather than detract from the social fabric of the community,” says Chapman.

Crompton Park, on the corner of Sunnyside and Crompton Roads, is a green space that has been allowed to deteriorate. It is not uncommon for many illegal activities to happen there, including the trade in drugs and the sorting of stolen goods. The DA chose to clean up Crompton Park as one of its many activities in eThekwini Municipality to mark Mandela Day. This unique day, celebrated across the world to honour the humanitarian legacy of former President, Nelson Mandela, required individuals to contribute 67 minutes of their time to community service. More than twenty DA activists and public representatives gathered in Crompton Park and filled approximately 70 large refuse bags with litter from the park.

Other recent cleaning projects organised by Councillor Chapman include two cleanups in Lahee Park in June. This park moved from a veritable litter dump to clean and green, and the City Parks Department is committed to keeping it that way.

Residents can make a difference by encouraging one another to keep these spaces green and clean. “Crime loves dirt and grime, so let’s get cleaning and greening,” says Councillor Chapman.

UPDATE: This statement was issued for and published in The Highway Mail on Wednesday 29 July, 2009

I have confirmed with the two City officials responsible for the work currently underway on the Lahee Park Swimming Pool that the work will be complete by the end of August.

Pepe Dass and Jose Gomez of City Parks and Architecture respectively have confirmed that there was a delay related to the payment of contractors and that had been resolved in a meeting last week Thursday.  The work remaining involves sealing a few cracks and the marblite work, and barring significant adverse weather conditions will be completed before the end of August and the pool filled by the end of the month.  Additionally, the rubble and other building refuse resulting from the work will be cleaned up during the course of August.

Please direct any queries to Warwick at ward18@ethekwini.org or 083 7797 094