Local library still a conundrum for residents

Mogale City has several structures that remain a conundrum whether they need to be maintained, rebuilt or repaired, the delivery of service has been criticized. One of these facilities is the Kagiso Community Library which has been left vacant and neglected for over 10 years.

According to Mogale City Local Municipality (MCLM) councillor and member of the Gauteng Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation committee, Jade Miller, the Kagiso Ext 6 Library was meant to be a crucial educational resource for the Kagiso community, but it has remained unopened since its completion of construction in September 2019.

”The state of the building is particularly disappointing, especially considering the substantial investment of R19.7m in taxpayer money spent on getting this library up and running,” Miller said.

The poor state of the library was discovered during a recent oversight visit by the Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation (SACR) committee, where several issues related to infrastructure failure were brought to light which highlighted:

• Construction began in April 2014 yet the facility still lacks a building occupancy certificate
• Poor workmanship by the previous contractor necessitates extensive remedial work
• Despite commitments in the 2022/ 23 Annual Report to conduct planned maintenance, independent verification in November 2023 revealed no work had commenced
• The facility is currently listed among the 21% of provincial infrastructure classified as being in “bad condition”
• The department’s promised eight-month renovation plan, scheduled for completion by March 31 last year has shown no signs of progress

Miller confirmed that the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng calls on the Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation (DSACR) to continue pushing the Gauteng Provincial Treasury to prioritise releasing money for the infrastructure of libraries in the province.

”We will be tabling questions in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL) to ascertain how many libraries are incomplete, how many have been completed but are not operational, and how many have been abandoned. We will use the information to petition the department to prioritise completing the libraries’ infrastructure and ensure that they are fully operational for the benefit of Gauteng and Mogale residents. We will also table a motion in the legislature on the library infrastructure to push the department to deliver and the Gauteng Provincial Treasury to release money.”

A letter was sent by the committee to the MEC of Infrastructure Development, Jacob Mamabolo, requesting that appropriate actions be taken against the officials responsible for the completion and opening of libraries in Gauteng. There were demands that these officials be replaced by a more honest and competent team.

While the Gauteng DSACR points to budget constraints in the oversight report and alleged lack of support from the Gauteng Provincial Treasury, the reality is that this represents a decade of failed service delivery to the Kagiso community.

”The Gauteng government should have ensured that Kagiso library is open upon completion to foster learning, promote literacy, and support the local community’s educational development. We would also have hired competent service providers with a reputation for delivering quality infrastructure projects within the stipulated timelines and budget. In addition, we would have ensured adequate project management and monitoring of projects to avoid unnecessary delays, poor workmanship and a waste of funds,” Miller said.

The Krugersdorp News approached MCLM for comment regarding the state and conditions of the library, however, no feedback was given in time for print.