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While oversight inspections conducted at the Judy Scott Library in Florianville and the Galeshewe Library in Sol Plaatje last week confirmed years of neglect, the Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes a commitment made by the Northern Cape Department of Sport, Arts and Culture to refurbish these facilities.

Opportunistic thieves and vandals are increasingly gaining entry to the facilities through broken ceiling boards, that are becoming more and more damaged. Both facilities have also been robbed of equipment that enabled them to offer WiFi, while the Galeshewe library lost computers, tablets and e-readers to burglars, and the Judy Scott had its plasma TV screen stolen. In effect, workstations have had to be cordoned off.

Some of the furniture at the Galeshewe library is also old and breaking, while theft has further rendered the staff kitchen dysfunctional. Staff at the Judy Scott library make use of the basins next to the men’s urinals to get water for the kettle. The grounds are also very overgrown, making it easy for criminals to hide out.

It has been about five years since maintenance work was last done at the two facilities but, with some care and financial investment, it is still possible to restore them to their former glory.

The DA is therefore pleased about the investment into refurbishments for both libraries, as mentioned by the department during the recent Annual Report committee meeting.

We however remain concerned about non-compliance by thirteen municipalities in the Northern Cape, who failed to submit the correct documents required for funding intended for libraries. This not only led to underspending by the department, but also deprived libraries across the province of R17 million intended for maintenance and new books.

It is particularly worrying to note that all three municipalities in the John Taolo Gaetsewe district did not comply, because the outcry for functional libraries in this area is great.

In the coming budget cycle, the DA will be asking that allocations be set aside for real-time maintenance, which will ensure better preservation of the province’s libraries. We also want the ongoing lack of ownership of libraries, by municipalities, addressed. There should be no grey areas with regards to who is responsible for maintenance, as libraries provide access to opportunities and must be protected.

Issued by DA Northern Cape Provincial Spokesperson on Sport, Arts & Culture, Ofentse Mokae, MPL