By Doreen Mokgolo
The Primrose Library in Germiston, Ekurhuleni was hit by a fire in the early hours of Tuesday morning after electric cables were stolen in the area.
Metro spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said while the exact cause of the fire is unknown, they suspect it was because of attempted cable theft.
“The fire damaged among other things computers, monitors, books and the air conditioning system. We are investigating the extent of the damage to determine how long repairs will take and when the library will be opened again,” he said.
“For as long as the facility remains closed, library-goers are encouraged to use neighbouring libraries such as Germiston, Bedfordview and Edenvale.”
This is the second library in the metro to have been burned down after suspected attempted cable theft this year.
In January, the historic 93-year-old library in Brakpan – which had been previously vandalised –was destroyed by fire, leaving only the shell of the building, which now accommodates homeless people.
Concerned Ekurhuleni resident Dave Hendricks said cable theft has become a major concern in the metro.
“I frequent the library to borrow books and connect to their wi-fi for research and school assignments,” he said.
“This facility offered me and others who are long-distance students space to work in a peaceful space. Unfortunately, we are now forced to spend money to travel [elsewhere] to access the services.”
Resident Nthabi Seabi said police must arrest cable thieves to send a warning to others wanting to steal cables.
“This is our community. If we allow perpetrators to do as they please by vandalising our infrastructure, we will wake up with no facilities left,” she said.
“Our children need the services of the library but now they are forced to travel to other areas because of the criminals’ selfish motives.”
Residents speculate that the fire might have been started by amateur cable thieves, who tried to steal cables while electricity was still live, instead of waiting for load shedding.
Pictured above: The fire-damaged Primrose Library.
Image source: Supplied
