Reading shelved as City fails to supply 94 libraries with books

FORMER and current library staff have advised the City to act promptly after it emerged that 94 municipal libraries have not received books for 14 months..

These include fiction and non-fiction books, and study guides.

It has been alleged the suppliers were not registered on the eThekwini Municipality’s database.

Former library assistant and DA councillor Shontel De Boer said: “I have been fighting with the head of Parks, Recreation and Culture for a while now. The suppliers that submitted tenders have been approved but when it reached the bid adjudication committee, it found they were not registered on the database.

“When I spoke to the head of libraries recently, I was told the process was close to completion.

“However, it’s disappointing that this irregularity has not yet been sorted out.”

De Boer said school children had suffered the most.

“I was a library assistant for 17 years. While some have access to smartphones to access reading material, others who frequent the library may not have access. Those are the ones who are suffering.”

A retired librarian, who has a family member still employed at a library south of Durban, said: “What’s the point of having a library when you don’t have the latest books or learning material?

“With the demise of school libraries, our municipal public library has absorbed the function of being an alternative educational value-driven resource centre.”

A librarian, working for the city for 10 years, said it was disappointing to see people walking out the venue without the book they had been looking for.

“A lot of people come over looking for certain books or a certain module for their studies, but we have to turn them away. It’s sad because our hands are tied.”

Deena Nair, who retired from the Durban Central Library in 2012, said over the years the tender system had become problematic.

“I would like to think I retired at the right time. Now, fewer people visit the library and while it could be due to a lack of fresh material, it’s also because technology is so advanced that you have tablets and Kindles which people can use to download and read online.”

He said during his time working, libraries would receive books at least three times a year.

Another retired library assistant, Shelly du Plessis, added: “Without new books a library could close down. It would be a sad day if it had to come to this.”

Educationist Labby Ramrathun said if libraries were without the latest learning material it would be doing a disservice to pupils.

“If there hasn’t been new material going in then there’s a problem. What’s the need of having the institution, if the person cannot get the cutting-edge stuff they require from the library?” he asked.

The eThekwini Municipality spokesperson, Msawakhe Mayisela, said municipal libraries last received books in November 2017.

At the time a tender was to be advertised with the closing date being January 18 last year.

“After the closing date, the process of adjudicating took place and an adjudicated list of suppliers were sent to the bid evaluation committee, at which point the committee raised issues of concern, which needed to be addressed and dealt with.

“These necessitated that the adjudication team go back to the drawing board to review those issues raised by the committee, during which time there was consultation with supply chain management numerous times and also with compliance section in order to address the issues raised.”

He said that on finalising this process, the adjudicated list was sent to the SCM once again for an evaluation and preparation for it to be sent to compliance for a further check.

“The tender is currently being evaluated at compliance to be resubmitted to the bid evaluation committee for approval.”

Mayisela added that the supply chain processes could not be timed, and the libraries department purchased larger quantities that were meant to continue to supply libraries with new books for eight months or more.

“It is with regret that libraries have not been able to purchase books in the past 14 months.

“However, the procurement process must be followed to ensure that suppliers contracted to the municipality to supply books meet all the requirements as stipulated by the supply chain processes and the municipal finance management act.”