The content on this page is not written by Polity.org.za, but is supplied by third parties. This content does not constitute news reporting by Polity.org.za.

DA oversight inspections revealed insufficient resources and lack of maintenance of library services in the province with numerous librarian vacancies. The Department is failing to employ librarians and assistant librarians on long term contracts.

We have written to Sport, Arts and Culture MEC, Thandi Moraka, to urgently address these issues.

About 100 librarians have been employed on 6-month contracts since 2007 by the Department with over 90 library assistants on similar contracts. The Department has previously indicated that this is due to inadequate financial resources.

It is clear that the budgetary allocation is inadequate to effectively run library services in the province. Library services were only allocated a budget of R183.677 million in the current financial year and R38.8 million of this is budgeted for plans to build four new libraries.

The Department’s budget for library services is so thinly spread that there are only plans to maintain 12 out of 96 libraries in the province, despite the need for maintenance in many more libraries across different municipalities.  

Libraries such as Mapodile, Phatantswane and Jane Furse Library have poor security measures, and this resulted in the theft of laptops last year. Jane Furse Library also has faulty electrical connections and too little space.

Phatantswane, Makhado and Leboneng Libraries all have insufficient space to operate a fully operational library and Babirwa Library in Mogalakwena is forced to share a space with other offices. The Metz Library has a leaking roof and the Lephalale Library has had challenges with receiving books ordered during book selection through the department.

It is unacceptable that the situation has been allowed to get this bad. Libraries are pivotal as knowledge centres that nurture cultures of reading, learning and research in our communities and should be prioritised.

We call on Moraka and her department to urgently address these concerns and also engage municipalities to ensure they cooperate before library services in the province collapse.

Issued by Katlego Suzan Phala MPL - DA Limpopo Spokesperson on Sport, Arts and Culture