Officials in Johannesburg are under increasing pressure to finally reopen the city’s main public library after four years, with many residents saying the struggle epitomizes the decline of South Africa’s economic heartland.
The building, a Neo-Renaissance masterpiece that once served as a refuge for children and unemployed workers in the city, is closed during the pandemic. Despite repeated promises of repairs, officials claim it poses a fire risk and must remain closed for now.
Many in Johannesburg see the ongoing closures as emblematic of the fate of a city that has seen 10 mayors in six years, none of whom have been able to address frequent water shortages, power outages or potholed roads.
“The closure of the library is emblematic of how poorly the city is being managed,” said Flo Bird, a city resident who has campaigned to ensure the reopening of the five-story, 89-year-old landmark building. central character.
Amogelang Kgoathe, the project manager responsible for ensuring the library complies with fire regulations, said the city is taking action as quickly as possible.
“There will be a partial reopening in February and the remainder in June or July,” she told the Financial Times.
Earlier this year, dozens of residents protested outside the library, which houses 1.5 million books detailing the country’s history before and during apartheid, demanding that it not permanently close.
“The library has one of the largest Afrikaner repositories on the continent, as well as documents you won’t find anywhere else,” said Kathy Munro, retired professor at Wits University. “Yes, there are branches in the suburbs now, but this is a true urban library serving the thousands of people who come to live in Johannesburg from all over Africa.”
For some, the fight to revitalize the library highlights shifting economic priorities in the post-apartheid era – a trend in a city that once dominated the global gold mining industry and still contributes 15% of South Africa’s GDP The most obvious.
“We are seeing a breakdown in basic administration and governance in Johannesburg, political instability, and libraries are victims,” said Yunus Chamda, a member of the Johannesburg Crisis Coalition, which is made up of several civil society groups.
First opened in 1935 and built by architect John Perry, who won a national design competition, the library has 140 internet-enabled computer stations to help the 650,000 people living in the city center, many of whom are from Zimbabwe. and immigrants from Mozambique) found work.
“I met some people there who were using the library to get their college degrees through correspondence. The librarians were helping kids in some very poor inner-city schools with their school projects. For those people, it was heartbreaking. ,” Bird said.
However, city officials came under increasing scrutiny for meeting safety requirements after a fatal fire in August 2023 at a hijacked building near the inner city that killed 77 people.
At a meeting in mid-November at the Johannesburg Development Authority, the city agency responsible for the program, Kgoathe said there were a number of reasons why reopening was taking so long.
It was only after the coronavirus shutdown that inspections revealed roof leaks, water damage and fire risks. The agency then had to lobby hard for state funding to address the problem.
“If the library remains open while this is happening, not only is it illegal, but it potentially harms the very people you allow in. Saving lives is more important than keeping the library open,” she said.
In mid-December, the agency said the library’s reconstruction was 22 percent complete, but was hampered by plans to install a water tank designed to ease the city’s erratic water supply in the event of a fire.
The institution said it was moving forward with the project quickly because it recognized “the significant impact library closures have on students, researchers and the wider community”.
The city’s main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, said the library renovation project smacked of corruption.
Kingsol Chabalala, a Democratic member of the Gauteng provincial legislature which covers Johannesburg, told the Financial Times: “So far there has been little to show for the money spent and the costs have been inflated. To this extent is doubtful.
In September, in response to questions from the DA, the Johannesburg government admitted that the cost of rebuilding the library had soared to R77.8 million ($4.2 million) – which Kingsol said was significantly higher than the R45 million originally projected.
Kgoathe argued that the cost of the project was reasonable because initial estimates were made in 2021 and the city had to consider factors such as “upgrades over time.”
Brendan Hart, the architect responsible for the building, said in November that some of the delays were due to “a desire to do things in a way that is responsible for the heritage value and significance of the building”.
But Wynand Dreyer, an engineer working with the Heritage Foundation, a civil society group pushing for libraries to reopen, said the delays were untenable.
“This library has been functioning well for decades and is relied upon by many people who have few other options. To be closed like this for four years does a lot of damage to their lives,” he said.
On a summer day this month, construction workers were busy in front of the building, building a platform for a new water tank in case of a fire. When asked if it would open in February, one worker shrugged. “Who knows, these guys are never on time,” he said.
