News24 | WATCH | Take a book: Brand new chapter as Joburg City Library reopens again after 5 years

• After being closed for five years due to leaks and fire risks, the Johannesburg City Library has reopened.
• Visitors, including avid readers like Deon Lekay, were thrilled to explore the revitalised space, which now has upgraded systems, cleared shelves and buzzing study areas.
• The restoration, praised as a collaboration between the City and civil society, is seen as a symbol of progress in a city often plagued by challenges.

Deon Lekay was all smiles as he left the Johannesburg City Library with his books tucked under his arm, the fruits of an hour’s browse. The 62-year-old Lekay took his time descending the marble stairs, which had not felt the footsteps of visitors since the library was closed in 2020, condemned because it leaked and had also become a fire risk.

Now, finally open, Lekay and others were able to browse some of the library’s 800 000 resources on Tuesday. While some work was still being done on the building, the reference room, with its 26 000 books, was accessible to scores of visitors.

Students were spread out on the first floor and both mezzanines overlooking the standard library stack. Some used the computers on the shelves, others were hunched over books, feverishly taking notes. While students relished the roomy desks on Tuesday, the study area, which can accommodate 280 people, is expected to fill out once news that the building is open spreads.

The law and Africana archives on the ground floor were busy, too, with researchers removing their suit jackets and rolling up their sleeves to pore over ancient leather-bound books.

There was a buzz, not just from the four working escalators, but also from the excitement of the visitors who were once again able to enter the building and the staff who were visibly proud to be serving again.

The only unoccupied spaces were the underground shelves, which held over 500 000 books, and the basement newsroom collection, which had over 250 newspaper publications. These spaces were usually used by students and researchers.

But since News24 last visited in February, every shelf had been cleared, the leak flooding the ancient titles had been plugged, and the fire system had been set in place. Instead of the musty cave News24 saw in January, there was an organised underground space where librarians can easily find and retrieve newspapers and clippings from the archive.

The children’s book collection was also quiet, but a librarian, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the space usually only gets busy after 14:00, when school is out, and during the weekends. Before then, it’s sometimes occupied by parents working on their children’s school projects. On Tuesday, there was a pile of books a mom had frantically gathered for photocopying for her child, who had only just told her they had a project to hand in the next day.

The colourfully decorated room, where children can sit on tiny stools, benches and on the floor, will once again be used for storytelling.

Another librarian told News24 that the room had been a mess before the “soft opening” in January. She said the shelves in the little room had been turned over, and the books lay spread on the floor. She said librarians spent weeks cleaning and cataloguing the collection of children’s books.

Lekay spent his time looking at the standard stack room and left the library at midday with two books.

He was able to renew his card because he had been a long-time library user before it closed. News24 met several others who also renewed their library cards.

Those without cards will register on the public library membership website and can retrieve their cards within five days of doing so.

Speaking to News24, Lekay said he was happy that the library was open again. A pensioner, he enjoys spending his time reading, but his two daughters and granddaughter do not. He lamented that they were always stuck to their smartphones.

“You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink,” he said.

He added that he had not found the specific book he was looking for, but with his public library membership card, he was able to borrow books from City libraries across Johannesburg.

Lekay then left for the Sandton Library to see if he could find what he was looking for there.

Meanwhile, Heritage Foundation chair David Fleminger said the foundation was delighted that the library had reopened.

“It’s such an important facility for literacy, academia, research and the local [population],” he said on Tuesday.

Fleminger also congratulated the City and the Johannesburg Development Agency on the success of completing the library’s refurbishments.

He said the process worked because it was a “truly collaborative” process involving the City and civil society.

“And we encourage the City to follow the collaborative process [with other projects]…. This is the way forward. The City must know that if they lack capacity, they can go to civil society for help, and there is support,” he said.

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He added that it was great to get a good result. “When the City faces so many crises and bad news, this is heartening.”

In a statement before the opening, member of the mayoral committee for community development Tebogo Nkokou said: “This 90th anniversary and reopening marks the City’s continued commitment to sustainable service delivery, education and the preservation of our cultural heritage.

“The JCL (Johannesburg City Library) is more than just a library – it’s a cornerstone of inclusive growth and a thriving, liveable city,” he said.

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