Malvern residents have expressed their disappointments with City of Joburg’s library services.
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They said the city does not care about bringing the services to people.
Brian Ntombela, who has been a resident of Malvern for 20 years, said Malvern Library is not the same as it was before.
“I went to the Malvern Library and discovered that the Wi-Fi services are not working. The Wi-Fi at the library stopped working the day the schools closed. The library has also stopped providing newspapers for residents to read.
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“They did not even let us know that there are no newspapers anymore. Every time we need newspapers we ask librarians and they tell us that there are no newspapers without providing us with any reasons as to what happened to the newspapers,” said Ntombela.
“The community struggles a lot. They don’t even bother to go to the library anymore. Most of the youth in this community relied on newspapers to read and look for possible job vacancies so that they can apply. I started to accept that the library won’t provide us with any newspapers and I bought myself a laptop so that I can access the Wi-Fi, do research, read the news and do my school work but they have also disconnected the Wi-Fi. I don’t know where else to go. One day, I ended up taking a taxi to the City of Joburg offices where I tried to address the issue with managers but no one listened to me.
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“The problem with Malvern Library does not end with newspapers and Wi-Fi. The library’s printer and the computer have not been working for a while. We can’t print nor make any photocopies. I don’t know why the machine has not been working because we pay for photocopies,” he said.
Ntombela said the library is not in a good condition either.
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“They don’t even provide toilet paper. Whenever we want to use the toilets, we are expected to have our own toilet paper. This library was supposed to be a place where the community can access information but there is nothing to access there. All they have are old books in the archives.
“Maybe City of Joburg library services decided to cancel the newspapers at the library but when did that happen? If there are any changes that they would like to make they should also consult the residents because we are the ones who use the library,” he said.
Thuso Nkabinde, who is an unemployed graduate, said she relied on newspapers to look for jobs.
“I live in Jumpas Informal Settlement. We are suffering in this informal settlement. The City of Joburg expects us to afford newspapers when we’re living in a shack? I can’t afford to buy the newspapers. When I first asked about the newspapers at Malvern Library earlier this year I was told that I must use the internet as they provide us with Wi-Fi but I do not have a smartphone. A smartphone is also a luxury to my family. My mother can’t afford it. On Sundays, I go the extra mile and wait for people who buy newspapers at Spar and ask them if I can check any vacancies. It has really been bad. It’s weird to approach people that you don’t know so that you can read the paper. I wish libraries can think about the needs of communities and provide us with newspapers,” she said.
Nkabinde said a lot of people don’t use the library as they can’t get much of the information that they need.
City of Joburg group communications officer Ayanda Radebe said providing newspapers is one of the services offered by city libraries.
“This service is procured through the normal procurement process. It should be noted that the tender for supplying newspapers came to an end and a new tender has been advertised.”
Radebe said the city has a subscription to press reader where the community can access newspapers online, a service which has been in place since last year.
“The community is also able to access e-books at the city’s libraries. The community is able to access the city libraries’ e-resources using public computers or their own devices.
“We are committed to being an honest, transparent and responsive local government that prides itself on service excellence. We aim to keep residents informed of all municipal activities and where there has been changes to municipal services at all times. A public notice was placed at Malvern Library to inform the community that the newspaper delivery is suspended,” said Radebe.
She said Wi-Fi at Malvern Library was temporarily interrupted due to technical difficulties with the Joburg free Wi-Fi server.
“The issue has since been resolved. The printer at Malvern Library is also working. The problem is due to cartridges. Request for new cartridges has been made and awaiting delivery. In instances where the community are not able to print at the Malvern Library, they are advised to go to neighbouring libraries in the area,” she said.
Radebe said the city’s library services also provides toilet paper to the community.
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