Following a series of delays, the City of Joburg has announced the reopening of the first phase of the Johannesburg City Library.
The doors to the library were partially reopened on Friday just as South Africa was observing Human Rights Day, the event also coinciding with South Africa Library Week.
The partial reopening has given Joburg residents public access to the first floor of the three-storey heritage site with more than 1,5 million books, newspapers and other materials.
"To the residents of Johannesburg, we have promised and made a commitment that in 2025 the library will be opened. Indeed today we are here to reopen the first phase of the library. Seventy five percent of the work has been completed. The library is open and the children's section. The other sections are open, and we are just concluding the archiving area, which we think by the end of August would be concluded," City of Joburg Mayor, Dada Morero said.
With the latest developments, Morero indicated that the reopening is more than just an event but showcases the city's commitment towards ensuring citizens access information within the city centre.
"This reopening reflects our belief in the power of learning to transform lives and stands as a testament to the enduring role of libraries in building a stronger, more sustainable Johannesburg... We are excited as a city that we have kept our promise. We would like to acknowledge all our stakeholders and partners who helped us throughout the process by guiding us and raising their concerns and eventually, the library is here, and we chose to open it today to coincide with the South African Library Week and today, we are celebrating South Africa's Human Rights Day," he added.
Two months ago, IOL reported that following years of delays and other challenges, the mayor committed to a two-phased reopening of one of Africa’s biggest public libraries with the first phase, set to begin at the end of February, while the second phase is expected to be completed in June.
“The end of June should be the official opening of a fully functional library. But as a city, we have committed to ensuring that this library is reopened for its first phase by February,” Morero said at the time.