After five-year shutdown, Joburg City Library set for partial reopening on 21 March

The Johannesburg City Library’s doors had been closed for years before the city’s Heritage Foundation led a protest in May 2024 demanding the reopening of the crucial facility, which houses 1.5 million books and, with 120 workstations and free wi-fi, was popular with students.

There appeared to be a lack of urgency in the City of Johannesburg to address the issue. At the protest, Johannesburg Heritage Foundation (JHF) chairperson David Fleminger said, “If the city doesn’t respond or continues to ignore this matter” the foundation could resort to sit-ins or court action.

Fleminger said the protest had led to improved cooperation with the City of Johannesburg and its agencies.

“It’s a good story and the city has been cooperating with stakeholders,” said Fleminger.

The library is now scheduled to partially reopen on Human Rights Day, 21 March, confirmed the JHF and the city.

“We are now very happy with the city’s cooperative nature when it comes to the library following our protest to the city that the library’s prolonged closure was affecting Johannesburg residents,” said Fleminger.

Read more: Central library shutdown – Joburg blows R25m on roof repairs, gutters and pipes

After the library was shuttered during the Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020, it was closed in May 2021 after Johannesburg Emergency Management Services found that the building failed to comply with safety regulations, particularly fire safety systems, and had electrical faults and water leaks.

The library’s refurbishment was slow going and there is still a significant amount of work to do. Only the ground floor is expected to reopen in March while the rest of the facility is scheduled to open in June or July.

City of Johannesburg spokesperson Nthatisi Modingoane said the upgrades to the library were expected to cost R69-million, with R21-million already spent. Daily Maverick has, however, reported that the upgrades could cost up to R85-million.

In January, following a site inspection by Mayor Dada Morero, Daily Maverick reported that the completed work included:

• Water tank installation: The foundation for the first water tank was 98% complete. This pressurised system ensures reliable water flow for fire safety;


• Lighting upgrades: Lighting had been modernised across all floors, with 90% of the work complete. These upgrades create an improved environment for reading, research and study; and


• Fire safety compliance: Specialised pumps had been procured to address fire safety non-compliance issues. Rigorous testing was under way to ensure the sprinkler system and fire hydrants maintained optimal pressure, even when the municipal water supply fell short.

“A contractor is on-site to fix the [roof, heating, ventilation, air conditioning and fire safety work],” Modingoane told Daily Maverick last week.

Installing the water tanks and pump station needed in case of fire has been particularly challenging.

Fleminger said, “The water pressure in the city is also low, so we had to build two water tanks for the library, which we discussed, and we came up with a suitable design which was implemented.”

While the library was originally slated to reopen in February, Fleminger had said the issue of the pump house might delay the reopening to March while they tried to find a solution to challenges presented by low water pressure.

He said that initially, a plan was presented to construct a large, unsightly pump house that would take away from the beauty of the building, which opened in 1935. They eventually agreed on a smaller, more attractive design for the pump house.

“It’s very beautiful and we do not want to obstruct the facade of the building.”

Library closures

The City of Johannesburg has a total of 84 public libraries. Six are closed: Johannesburg City Library, 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.

Heritage architect Brian McKechnie said of the broader closures, “The problem with the state, be that the province or city, is that they have various property resources. They do not spend money on repairs or maintenance of those buildings. The buildings slip into a state of decline, then they have to leave the buildings.

“By the time that your maintenance cycles have been ignored for several years, the maintenance costs become exorbitantly higher.”

Modingoane said the closed libraries were all undergoing repairs or rebuilding. DM