Johannesburg City Library to eventually open on Saturday, but will it open every other Saturday?

By Edward Tsumele, CITYLIFE/ARTS Editor

After many years of being denied an opportunity to access the massive collection of books, film and audio materials housed at the Johannesburg City Library in the CBD, residents can now sigh a moment of relief that this facility will eventually open this Saturday.

The closure of the facility has caused so much pain to residents, researchers and bookworms as the City of Johannesburg claimed that building had to be closed as it was not in a state for use by the public anymore. No problem with that really, but problem became when the authorities seemed not to be in a hurry to do the necessary renovation in time and reopen this important facility.

This combination of ineptitude and incompetence left many distressed, drone activists into the streets and left many wondering if the city really cared about looking after the cerebral community of Johannesburg.

Now it has been confirmed that after a partially reopening about two months ago, with several sections remaining inaccessible to the public, on Saturday, the library will now fully open. It is unclear though whether the reopening of this facility means that going forward, after this Saturday opening ceremony, expected to be officiated by the mayor Morero, the facility will continue to operate on Saturdays, traditionally a BUSY day when those who like to visit the library would do so on weekends when they would not be at work.

However, if the authorities stick to their earlier announcement that Saturdays the library will not open, citing labour issues with the unions, this re-opening will certainly amount to giving with one hand and taking with the other.

However, the announcement of its reopening has been received positively by many, especially by activists, particularly the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation, which has been one of the loudest voices since the library was closed five years ago.

“The Johannesburg Heritage Foundation (JHF) and Joburg Crisis Alliance (JCA) are pleased to confirm that the long-delayed refurbishment of the Johannesburg City Library (JCL) is now complete, and we look forward to attending a ceremony on Saturday 9 August to commemorate the full reopening of this vital civic resource.
 
We further recognise the role of an inclusive Stakeholder Forum established by the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) which hosted a regular series of stakeholder engagement sessions where civil society was able to contribute meaningfully to the refurbishment process. By providing external stakeholders with a forum for genuine dialogue with the COJ and its agencies, we believe that we have reached a more sustainable and satisfactory result than if the city had gone it alone.
 
The re-opening follows the long and largely unexplained closure of the JCL from 2020 to 2024. It was this lack of action from the authorities that prompted the JHF and JCA to launch a joint protest action for the re-opening of the JCL in March 2024, which included an in-person protest outside the library as well as a social media campaign to push the authorities to take their mandate regarding the library seriously. The campaign was supported by several authors who donated their books as a symbolic gesture of support for the reopening. The support of both the news media and the general public in this campaign is gratefully acknowledged. 
 
This is an excellent example of civil society standing up for its rights and holding the authorities to account. 
 
We therefore invite all our supporters to attend the re-opening ceremony at the JCL, scheduled for 10.00 on Saturday 9 August 2025. As part of the ceremony, we will be unveiling two Blue Plaques (one for stalwart head librarian Anna Smith and the other for the library building itself, which is celebrating 90 years). A handover of a number of books signed by prominent authors in support of the JHF/JCA campaign will also take place.
 
Despite the good results we have achieved for the JCL, the JHF and JCA nevertheless continue to monitor the on-going and indefinite closure of several branch libraries around the city. Some of these include the Louisa Prince Library in Ennerdale, the Protea North Library in Soweto, the Southdale Library in Robertsham, the Brixton Library and the Murray Park Library in Jeppestown. These facilities play an important role in education, literacy and community upliftment, and it is imperative that the shuttered libraries are re-opened as a matter of urgency. Some JHF/JCA representatives will be in attendance on Saturday to answer questions in this regard.

There is also a growing call across the city for community libraries to be open on Saturday mornings. This is an issue because, due to work commitments during the week, weekends are often the only time when many people are available to visit these facilities. We are therefore working with the relevant authorities and community organisations to have libraries opened on Saturdays, to improve access and increase visitor numbers.
 
The euphoria of the reopening of the JCL should not detract from accountability for the cost incurred in the renovations and repairs and to ensure that the money spent is in line with market value cost.
 
In closing, we would like to thank the various organisations, media houses, authors, and members of the public who wholeheartedly supported our campaign to re-open the City Library (and branch libraries around the city). By working together, we have the power to effect change and improve conditions in our beloved, beleaguered city,’ reads a statement issued by the Foundation.