The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes Emthanjeni municipality’s move to ensure the preservation of the old Britstown library, in response to our calls to address vandalism and theft at the unused building.
The former library, which is a heritage site, was leased by the welfare department. Due to a lack of maintenance of the facility by the municipality, they moved to the Emthanjeni municipal offices in town. After vacating the library, it didn’t take long for vandalism and plundering of the vacant building to get underway.
On an oversight inspection to the site a couple of weeks ago, I found the front door wide open, with only the security door preventing unlimited access to the facility. From the doorway, it was clear that there had been intruders. Windows were pulled open, documents scattered on the floor and spray paint tarnished the walls. It was also clear that bits and pieces of the building, and its contents, were being destroyed and carried away.
The DA was deeply concerned that soon there would be nothing more than a pile of bricks left of the old library, if urgent action was not taken.
The DA immediately intervened and alerted the relevant municipal director to the situation, and we have been following up regularly on the way forward. The municipality didn’t waste time appointing security to guard the building on a 24/7 basis. In the meantime, the municipality is also reviewing an application submitted by a local pastor for leasing of the building to a church.
In this instance, swift municipal action has preserved the old library from the degradation that has decimated vacant and unused buildings across the province.
The DA will continue to put pressure on the municipality to speedily get the building back in use. With a permanent presence in the building, the old library will be better looked after and be more secure, at a lesser cost to the municipality. We will also be pushing Emthanjeni to revisit its other vandalized infrastructure, such as De Aar’s swimming pools, to salvage what is left.