Joburg City Library dire state despite R21.5 million refurbishment

Share the Article:

Joburg City Library is in a dilapidated state despite ‘receiving’ a R21.5 million refurbishment.

The facility situated at the heart of the city adjacent Beyers Naude Square remains closed despite a refurbishment project that began in 2021.

Speaking following an oversight inspection conducted at the library, Democratic Alliance Shadow MEC for Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture Kingsol Chabalala expressed that they were disappointed to discover that the refurbishment had not been completed four years later.

He said the library is old and dilapidated, with severe structural damage and the roof is leaking and has damaged many books, and the floor and ventilation need to be fixed.

Chabalala maintained that the significant heritage building has been neglected, leading to its alarming deterioration.

According to Chabalala, the chairperson of the portfolio committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Mzi Khumalo stated that the City of Johannesburg has spent R21,412,489.10 since the refurbishment project started on 24 May 2021.

https://twitter.com/DA_GPL/status/1826652525740675437

He also claimed that Khumalo revealed that the entire scope of the work is estimated at R45,456,373.73

“There is nothing much to show for the money that has been spent so far; we could only see that they have replaced the gutters, fire sensors, and fire sprinklers, among others.

“We were informed that the project would cost close to R80 million, which is way above the initial estimate reported by Khumalo,” Chabalala explained.

Library would be partially opened

He highlighted that the DA was informed that the library would only be partially opened after six months.

Chabalala added; “This is because the building cannot be fully opened until it is compliant with fire safety regulations.

ALSO READ | Decision to halt R9.8 billion school nutrition tender welcomed

“This continued closure of the metro’s main public library is concerning considering the data from the Department of Higher Education and Training, which showed that in 2022, Gauteng had an illiteracy rate of 4.4%.”

He stated that they will continue to exert pressure to ensure that the library management sticks to the time frame it has committed to for the partial reopening of the library.