Cash crisis for city libraries

Buffalo City libraries will have only a third of the required operational budget if treasury does not come to the rescue, council heard yesterday.

The shocking details are contained in a report from acting city manager Nonceba Mbali-Majeng, tabled at a council meeting at the Abbotsford Christian Centre yesterday.

The second last ordinary council meeting of the year also dealt with:

lHow to curb the illegal occupation of municipal land;

lHow the engineering services department hopes to manage the King William’s Town/ Bhisho bulk water/ sewer challenges, delayed by court action;

lThe deviation of millions for the summer season festivities, including R4.9-million for the Buyelekhaya Music Festival; and

lPlans to review the metro’s organogram next month.

But it was the Mbali-Majeng report on funding for libraries which saw parties speaking in one voice.

In the report, Mbali-Majeng pleaded with the council to accept a R10-million subsidy from the provincial department of sport, recreation, arts and culture (Desrac).

The metro had presented a R29.4-million operational budget for its libraries.

“This excludes the repairs and maintenance budget needed for buildings as well as other administrative costs,” read Mbali-Majeng’s report to council.

She said that despite there being a R19.4-million shortfall, she recommended that council approve the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Desrac to enable BCM to receive the R10-million grant.

Deputy mayor Xola Pakati also asked council to accept the R10-million, but further recommended that BCM mayor Alfred Mtsi meet with finance MEC Sakhumzi Somyo to secure more funding for the metro’s libraries.

“We appreciate that R10-million has been made, however on the shortfall I think we would like to make a recommendation that the executive mayor must engage not only Desrac but also treasury on the question of fast tracking the R19-million shortfall.

“If we do not take this R10-million we will have a problem and even if we take the

R10-million we will still have a problem. Let’s take what is available and on the basis of that we can then negotiate,” said Pakati.

The crisis to finance BCM libraries comes a year after the Daily Dispatch reported on the closure of a Butterworth library.

At the time Mnquma mayor Bhabha Ganjana said the municipality depended solely on funding from Desrac.

DA councillor Terrence Fritz said according to his investigation the BCM library in the central business district last received new books more than three years ago.

Fritz also referred to the library in Mdantsane’s NU14, which he said only had a “section” stocked with material.

“We agree with the deputy mayor. I would like to plead with the mayor to do his best. I’m a supporter of the library. The central library has not received books in three to four years. The situation is really bad,” Fritz said.

He said the central library was used every day and many students had nowhere else to study. “There’s a beautiful building at NU14, but three quarters of the building has no study material.”

The council yesterday agreed to assign Mtsi to negotiate for more funding from treasury to remedy the situation. — zineg@dispatch.co.za