The Johannesburg Heritage Foundation (JHF) is optimistic that the Johannesburg City Library, the biggest library in the city, will partially reopen in the first quarter of next year, three years after it was closed to the public.
The library in the CBD was emptied of staff and locked up in May 2021. The 88-year-old building was said to have structural issues.
The JHF, in collaboration with the Johannesburg Crisis Alliance and other civic organisations, protested in April this year, calling for the reopening of the facility.
JHF chair David Fleminger said they were grateful that the city and the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) had been engaged with residents about the work to reopen the library.
This week the city announced that following these consultations the library is set to reopen partially in the first quarter of 2025 after the start of work in September.
“This phased reopening will initially include sections such as the ground floor and the children’s section. The remaining areas, including the basements and the second to fifth floors, are expected to open later in 2025,” said the city.
Fleminger said they have been participating in the consultation processes and the city had been co-operative. He hoped the library would open in the first quarter of next year.
“It looks like we are on track for that and we hope nothing else comes up to delay the opening. We are optimistic that the library will reopen in the first quarter of next year.”
He said the library was closed in 2021 for compliance issues with the fire code and several other building codes. When the city closed the library, they were just fixing the gutters and doing other little repairs, not fixing the code violations, specifically fire violations.
“We said earlier this year the city is not doing what needs to be done. Why are they fixing gutters when the problem is the fire code? We were saying the city must act urgently because they didn’t seem to have any urgency.
“They didn’t realise closing a library like that is detrimental to the people of Johannesburg. It is an important facility, it has a million books for research and loaning and it has a huge archive that researchers, academics and town planners need.
“Since we had that protest action the city has taken note, they have stepped up their programme of repairs and now they are in full swing and are doing what needs to be done.”
Key milestones include:
Electrical works: lighting: 85% complete;uninterrupted power supply: 70% complete;generators: 100% serviced and repaired;distribution boards: 90% complete; andplugs: 80% complete.Fire protection:fire extinguishers: 100% installed;signage: 90% complete;fire hose reels: 100% installed; andfire hydrants: 100% installed.The city said a contractor has been appointed for a 10-month project duration with work being completed in two sections.
“The city, through the JDA, remains steadfast in its commitment to reopening the library as soon as possible. It recognises the effect the library’s closure has had on students, researchers and the community,” it said.
TimesLIVE
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