aneleThe JHF and JCA welcomes the partial re-opening of the JCL, scheduled for 09.00 on March 21 2025, and we eagerly await the full re-opening of this important civic resource towards the middle of this year.
The staggered re-opening is long overdue, following an extended 5-year closure which severely affected the local community, students, researchers, academics, etc. We further note that the City of Johannesburg (COJ) and Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) were very slow to respond to the initial closure of the library and failed to show the necessary sense of urgency until the JHF and JCA organised a public protest and petition in May 2024.
Nevertheless, because of this civil action and the corresponding media attention, we are gratified that the authorities finally agreed to invite us to regular stakeholder meetings where progress reports were shared by the contractors, and we were able to offer input. As a result of this open and collaborative approach, we believe that together we have realised a positive outcome that will stand the library in good stead going forward. We furthermore encourage the authorities to continue following this productive approach as we tackle additional challenges faced by other city-owned heritage properties.
However, in the interests of transparency, we continue to call on the authorities to make public the cost of repairs so far – especially those expenses incurred between 2020 and March 2024 when the work being done seemed to have little to do with the actual reasons for the closure (i.e. fire code violations flagged by Emergency Management Services). The issue of costs should also be considered in relation to the substantial renovation of the library that took place in 2010, with support from the Carnegie Foundation.
We also call on the authorities to move with urgency to re-open the several branch libraries that remain closed. These include: the Louisa Prince Library in Ennerdale, the Protea North Library in Soweto, the Southdale Library in Robertsham, the Brixton Library, and the Murray Park Library in Jeppestown. Each one of these facilities plays a very important role as a ‘third place’ (i.e. not a home or workplace) that can foster a sense of community and learning, promote social interaction, and contribute to a more vibrant and engaged citizenry.
In closing, we would like to thank everyone who supported the JHF/JCA campaign for the reopening of the JCL. Your interest and participation in the library issue proves that a committed and active citizenry can indeed make a difference.
Rest assured that we will continue to push for effective governance, accountability and service delivery across Johannesburg, and are committed to working with the relevant authorities to achieve a better future for the city and all its people.
Issued on behalf of
Yunus Chamda – JCA Coordinator
and David Fleminger – JHF Chair
