The Community Development Department of the City of Johannesburg is pleased to provide an update on the progress made towards the rehabilitation of the Johannesburg Central Library.

Progress

In June, the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA), the appointed agency for the refurbishment of the library, achieved the following milestones:

• Submission of fire plans and fire rational design plans to Emergency Management Services (EMS), including a strategy for the partial reopening of the library.
• EMS approval of the plans and strategy.

These reports are available to the public upon request.

Compliance and Planning

The library was closed following the issuing of a contravention notice by EMS to the Community Development Department, requiring compliance work to be completed before reopening the library to the public. This action serves as a mitigation measure for the city. The team has also submitted site development and building plans to the Department of Development Planning for review, with approval still pending.

Fire Compliance and Tender Process

The specification for the fire compliance scope of work has been completed, including the strategy for the partial reopening. The tender document was advertised to the public, and submissions have been received. The JDA is in the process of appointing a competent contractor to undertake the work, which is anticipated to begin in September 2024 and will last for 10 months.

Partial Reopening Strategy

The proposal for the partial reopening of the library has been sent to EMS and approved. It is anticipated that the partial reopening will be achieved within six months of the contract award. Design, construction coordination, and program review meetings will be held virtually every two weeks, with progress review meetings held on-site every two weeks. All site instructions will be in writing, and contract instructions will be issued only by the Principal Agent. Communication with external parties will be handled by the City of Johannesburg Community Development Department. Commitment to Reopening Our mission is to ensure that the Johannesburg Central Library reopens soon, allowing the citizens of Johannesburg to once again utilise its resources. We understand the significant negative impact the closure has had on students, learners, researcher and other citizens, and we would like to assure residents that we are doing everything possible within policy to ensure the library reopens as soon as possible.

Issued by the City of Joburg For enquiries, kindly send email to mediaqueries@joburg.org.za