The White River Library closed its doors on February 20 after it was found no longer safe for the public or staff.
One of the main reasons for the closure was the deterioration of the building. The walls and roof especially are in a poor condition, putting the users’ lives in danger.
The spokesperson for the Department of Sports, Culture, Arts and Recreation, Sibongile Nkosi, said the library was affected by the recent floods, and to protect the users it had to be closed.
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“The temporary closure is due to a leaking roof as a result of the heavy rains. The walls are also not in a good condition. It has since been registered under the emergency projects affected by the floods. We will wait for the outcome of the assessment from the Ehlanzeni District’s Disaster Management Unit, and then the library will receive the necessary attention in order to reopen it,” she said.
Nkosi did not give a timeframe for this.
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Users who depend on the library for various reasons expressed their disappointment about the closure, such as Sandile Mabuza, who is doing distance learning and depends on it to study and do research. “Now I have to use more money to travel to and use the Mbombela Library. This could have been avoided if the provincial government and management dealt with the problem before it got out of hand,” he said.
