Knysna Aquatics closes after seven years

KNYSNA NEWS - The closure of Knysna Aquatics after seven years has left the swimmers and their parents facing an uncertain future, but one parent believes the focus now should be on finding a way forward rather than dwelling on what has happened.

Coach Francois Boshoff, who has headed the swimming programme since its establishment, is leaving Knysna with his family after accepting a position elsewhere.

His departure follows the decision not to renew Knysna Aquatics' agreement to use the Knysna Primary School swimming pool from January 2027.

For a parent whose daughter swims for the club, this development represents the loss of more than a swimming programme.

In a letter to Knysna-Plett Herald, he described Knysna Aquatics as an institution that had become part of the town's sporting fabric, developing swimmers through years of discipline, commitment and early-morning training.

Under Boshoff's leadership, the swimmers progressed to provincial and national level, and an Olympian also emerged from the programme.

The parent said the immediate priority should now be to ensure that the swimmers have continued access to suitable pool time and qualified coaching so that years of development are not lost.

"The most important thing now is the swimmers and what happens to them," the parent said in a subsequent conversation with the Herald. "We need to look forward and find a solution."

Why the agreement is ending

The Knysna Primary school governing body said in a written reply its decision followed a review of its existing arrangement with Knysna Aquatics and the need to generate income from its facilities.

According to them, Knysna Aquatics paid no rental during the past three years and only covered the electricity used by the pool's heat pump. The school said it continued to carry the costs of the main pump and filtration system.

With the existing agreement ending at the close of 2026, the school governing body advertised for proposals for the pool's future use.

The school stipulated a monthly rental of R15 000, together with the electricity costs of both the heat pump and the main filtration system.

They said Knysna Aquatics did not accept these conditions, while other service providers who submitted proposals were prepared to comply with them.

The school also said although it is a public school, its facilities are not public facilities and their use is subject to contractual arrangements.

Looking beyond the immediate crisis

While the reasons surrounding the end of the agreement have inevitably attracted attention, the parent said the focus should now shift to what can be done to protect swimming in Knysna.

One possibility, he suggested, is to revive previous discussions around a dedicated aquatic centre for Knysna and the wider Garden Route.

Such a facility could potentially serve competitive swimming, water polo, learn-to-swim programmes, school sport and water safety initiatives, while also providing a venue for regional competitions.

The vision could extend beyond Knysna, serving swimmers from communities such as Plettenberg Bay, Sedgefield and George.

Such a project would require feasibility work, suitable land, substantial investment and co-operation between government, schools, sporting bodies, businesses and civil society.

But the parent believes the current situation could provide an opportunity to revisit the idea with renewed urgency.

For the immediate future, however, the priority remains the swimmers who have trained under Boshoff.

Seven years of coaching, competition and achievement have created a swimming community that now faces a significant transition.

The challenge, as the parent sees it, is to ensure that the end of Knysna Aquatics does not become the end of competitive swimming opportunities for the young swimmers it leaves behind.

Young Knysna Aquatics swimmers with their former coach, Francois Boshoff (second from right), and Knysna's international swimmer, Aimee Canny (centre). Photo: Hugo Redelinghuys