Construction and repairs are in full swing at the Johannesburg City Library

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14-01-2025
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Rosebank Killarney Gazette
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The Johannesburg Public Library has over 1.5 million books in its collection.

Following years of inaction and stonewalling from the City of Johannesburg, the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation is gratified to note that the city began appropriate action last year to repair the Johannesburg City Library (JCL) and get it compliant with the necessary fire and building codes.

Last year in May, foundation members and protesters gathered at Beyers Naudé Square to protest against the library’s closure in 2020.

The Executive Mayor of Johannesburg Dada Morero confirmed on January 7 on X that construction at the library had resumed and is in full swing following the annual builder’s break.

David Fleminger, the foundation chairperson, noted that since September last year, the city had invited the organisation and other stakeholders to attend regular update meetings, where progress on the library was shared and feedback was given.

“This is a very positive development and we welcome the opportunity to open and honest engagement with the city, its development agencies, and contractors,” he said.
“For example, towards the end of last year, it was explained that the JCL needed a dedicated water tank to meet the fire code [due to insufficient water pressure in the CBD].”

Fleminger added the foundation’s engineering and architectural experts had pointed out that one large water tank would be unsightly and interfere with the library’s façade.

Consequently, two smaller water tanks were agreed to be installed on either side of the building to improve symmetry. He said the foundation continued to attend these meetings and looked forward to partially reopening the library in the first quarter of 2025, as the city and its agencies promised.

Morero added on the X platform, “The City of Joburg through the Johannesburg Development Agency is committed to reopening these vital community resources as soon as possible.”

Fleminger concluded that he thought the foundation’s public protest action and the subsequent media attention were motivating factors in getting the city to take effective action to reopen the library.

“Before our intervention, work on the library was going nowhere with little feedback from the city apart from vague promises offering no deadlines or accountability. By working with civil organisations such as the Johannesburg Crisis Alliance, authors, publishers, and other stakeholders, we made citizens of Joburg aware of the issue and this public pressure finally prompted the city to take the ongoing closure of the JCL seriously.”