Bellville library crippled by vandalism

Bellville library’s services have been hobbled by a broken ventilation system that has been vandalised beyond repair, says the City.

Damage done to the system in 2021 has caused it to break down, and this week the library’s services were curtailed because of it.

“We simply cannot expect staff and patrons to endure the extreme heat affecting the building,” said mayoral committee member for community services and health Patricia van der Ross.

R2 million in repairs to fix the system were set to start this month, she said.

“While the library closed entirely during the first instance that the ventilation system was damaged, this time round, systems have been put in place to ensure that patrons can still access library materials, similar to the operational approach that was taken when libraries started reinstating services after the pandemic,” she said.

“These crimes force the closure of libraries, depriving our patrons of much-needed resources, a place to study and recreational space. I want to encourage residents to report vandalism and suspicious acts.”

In November 2021, intruders had cut the fence behind the library and climbed to the roof to reach the air-con chillers, she said. “They stripped all the metal/copper they could and cut the wiring. They also stole the coils and dismantled the chillers.”

Only a month earlier, copper had been stolen from the air-con during a burglary in which three computers, a data projector, a monitor and a USB were also taken, she said.

Budget constraints prevented the City from posting security guards permanently at the library, but they did do after-hours patrols and ad hoc checks, she said.

Bellville police spokesman Captain Aubrey Morwenyane confirmed there had been several incidents of vandalism and theft at library in 2021 but nothing recent.

Currently the library is only able to provide a drop-and-collect service, telephone and email renewals, inter-library loans and hall bookings.