Gauteng's R430.4 million investment to enhance community library services

Gauteng Finance and Economic Development MEC Lebogang Maile has allocated an additional R430.4 million to help transform urban and rural community library infrastructure, facilities, and services targeting previously disadvantaged communities.

The R430.4m allocation is for the next three years – R144.6m in 2025/26, R143.4m annually in 2026/27 and 2027/28.

For the 2025/26 financial year, the first tranche was expected to be paid in August/September of last year, and the second in October/November, provided that all the required documents were correct.

The nine municipalities receiving the allocations are required to immediately report any misappropriation and participate in the annual evaluation of performance of the funding for the 2025/26 financial year for submission to the provincial Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation and the Provincial Treasury.

According to a notice signed by the Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation Department’s acting head, Mpho Nawa, last week, business plans must be submitted, and consultative meetings on the planning, management, and maintenance of community libraries grant as called by the department.

The funding is expected to be utilised in purchasing 30,000 library materials such as books, subscriptions to periodicals and newspapers, and in transferring materials to the SA Library for the Blind to establish workstations for the visually impaired, as well as for maintenance and minor upgrading of existing municipal library infrastructure.

Additionally, it will be used to install a headcount system in six municipalities – Ekurhuleni Metro, Midvaal, Lesedi, Emfuleni, Mogale City, and Merafong local municipalities – and procure furniture for three library services as well as information and communication technology equipment and e-subscriptions.

Toy libraries will also be established together with Mzansi online library services in 35 facilities.

The funds are to be transferred to the municipalities for staff appointments and improve capacity in both urban and rural libraries in order to appropriately respond to community needs.

In terms of the schedule for the allocations, the third tranche will be paid this month or in February, and additional funds will be transferred to the City of Johannesburg, City of Tshwane, and the Midvaal Local Municipality.

“This funding is intended to address backlogs and disparities in the ongoing provision and maintenance of community library services across municipalities and enable the provincial department (of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation) to provide strategic guidance and alignment with national priorities,” read Nawa’s notice.

The conditions attached to the allocations are that each municipality’s business plan must be developed in accordance with identified priority areas and must accommodate the transformation and modernisation of the library services.

In addition, municipalities must spend the conditional grant on library services-related programmes and projects only.

Municipalities have also been told to submit monthly statistics, financial reports, and quarterly performance reports by the 10th day of every month to the department and warned that failure to comply with set timeframes will result in non-compliance.

loyiso.sidimba@inl.co.za