AS litigation over the closure of Musgrave Library continues to play out in court, Ward 33 councillor Fran Kristopher has confirmed its permanent closure, calling it “a slap in the face” for residents.

Musgrave Library, then situated at Glenwood Village Mall, was temporary closed in August 2025. According to reports the City’s lease was not renewed over unpaid rent and discrepancies on the water and electricity bills.

Kristopher, who was fighting the closure which followed that of Windermere Library, said the affected communities of Glenwood and Musgrave were not consulted about the closure of the much-needed service.

“This is a slap in the faces of the community as these are much-needed services, and now yet again we see another library close,” said Kristopher. “In a span of two years we have seen two libraries close down, leaving Umbilo Library to service across three wards. The City has multiple unused assets and facilities under Parks, Libraries and Heritage Department whereby one would not have to rely on leases with retail or mall spaces to relocate this much-needed facility.”

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With the permanent closure of Musgrave and Windermere libraries, it means three wards would be serviced by Umbilo Library. “Umbilo Library is not equipped and the holding capacity cannot withstand the number of patrons that require this much-needed service,” said Kristopher.

“This decision was made with no consultation or acknowledgement to the multiple queries surrounding the status of the library until now,” added Kristopher, who has requested further investigation at both exco and committee level.

Her call for further investigation were based on the responses received from the eThekwini Speaker, Thabani Nyawose, who confirmed the permanent closure of the library.

In response to the questions sent by Kristopher in February, it was also confirmed that Musgrave Library staff were now working at other municipal libraries, with assets to be transferred to other libraries within the city.

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On the capacity of Umbilo, it was determined to be limited and a “long-term plan will address this”. The eThekwini Municipality said the matter regarding Musgrave Library is currently under judicial consideration (sub judice).

“As such, the eThekwini Municipality cannot comment on the merits of the pending court case. We are therefore unable to provide information on the matter in relation to the legal proceedings,” said municipal spokesperson Gugu Sisilana.

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