• A new library for Rosevalley in Oudtshoorn
At the sod turning ceremony on 20 August were several councillors and officials from the Greater Oudtshoorn Municipality as well as Tertius Simmers (member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament, front right) and Anroux Marais (Western Cape Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport, next to Simmers). Photo supplied
THE new settlement of Rosevalley in Oudtshoorn will receive a new public library.
This was confirmed during a sod turning ceremony on Monday, 20 August.
“Libraries are giving energy for imagination to flourish, they open windows to the world and inspire us to perform towards improving the lives in our communities,” said the Minister for Cultural Affairs and Sport in the Western Cape, Anroux Marais, who was the keynote speaker.
“Libraries can change our lives, and I believe that this library will be a place where people can meet and where social inclusion can thrive,” Marais added.
Quoting Carl Rowan, an author, Marais said: “The library is the temple of learning and learning has liberated more people than all the wars in history.”
She affirmed the importance of libraries in our society hence the Department of Cultural Affairs’ outreach to educate and to connect libraries.
Marais told attendees that comprised of councillors, librarians, municipal and provincial officials, the media and residents of Rosevalley, that there are 307 libraries in the Western Cape.
“We believe that more libraries can be rolled out in our communities; and I’m looking forward to attend the official opening of this library soon,” she said.
The Western Cape Provincial Government has funded R8,5 million towards the construction of the Rosevalley public library.
Procurement processes to source a construction company are underway.
Meanwhile, the deputy mayor of the Greater Oudtshoorn, Noluthando Mwati, expressed her happiness about the new library.
“This is a joyous moment for us as people of the Greater Oudtshoorn, because the construction of this library will put food on the tables of some of our households.
“We are grateful as we cannot overlook the challenge of unemployment in this town.
“Also, post the construction, the joy continues.
“A library plays a fundamental role in a society as it is a getaway to knowledge and culture. The resources and services they offer create opportunities for learning, support literacy and education. They also shape new ideas and perspective that are central to a creative and innovative society.”
“Most of the children, especially in this ward, are not going to roam around on the streets. When they come from school, they can come here to this building and get more knowledge,” Mwati concluded.
Marais presented a cheque of R2 million to Mwati. Thereafter, they officially turned the sod as a symbol of the beginning of the construction of the new library.
The director for Community Services in the Oudtshoorn Municipality, Thomas Matthee, emphasised the importance of public participation and the thorough community participation processes which were followed.
Meanwhile, Jerome Lambaatjeen, the ward councillor for Ward 6,where the library is to be built, acknowledged all the role players who made it possible for the library to be built in his ward.