A nine-year-old boy who fell asleep while waiting for his father was accidentally locked inside Cape Town’s Central Library, sparking a rescue by Cape Town Central City Improvement District (CCID) public safety officers. 

The incident occurred on Thursday evening. 

According to CCID, staff closed the library at 16:00 and went home, unknowingly leaving the boy inside.  

Jurie Bruwer, the head of CCID Safety & Security, explained that when the youngster woke up at around 18:45, the library in Parade Street was dark and deserted. 
 
Bruwer described the boy as frightened. 

“Panicking, he started screaming for help and knocking on a window to alert passers-by,” he said.

Public safety officer hears cries for help 

Bruwer added that a public safety officer on duty near the library heard the commotion and notified the CCID’s 24-hour control room.  

Night manager Bennie Jacobs went to the library with two other CCID Safety & Security team members.  

“One of them managed to contact a library staff member, who responded and came to open the library. Happily, the youngster was reunited with his father soon thereafter,” explained Bruwer. 

Reunited with father 

Bruwer said the boy was accompanied to the nearby barbershop in the East City. The shop had already closed for the day, and his worried father was waiting outside for him. 

“It appears his father had instructed him not to go to the library after school because it closed at 16:00. He was meant to go straight to his dad’s workplace and wait for him to finish his shift. 
 
“But the lure of the library, its range of interesting books and the quiet, secure space was far too enticing,” said Bruwer. 

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