Reports indicate that Mashatile (62) had collapsed from the heat. 

Mashatile’s spokesperson Keith Khoza told the Mail and Guardian that the deputy president is “fine” following a medical check up that was conducted after the incident.

Khoza said that the deputy president had left Limpopo for Gauteng.

In a short statement, Khoza said: “While delivering his keynote address, the deputy president felt lightheaded from the heat and was attended to by his medical team.”

The president and the deputy president travel with a team from the South African Medical Services (SAMS), who are responsible for the medical care.

Mashatile was speaking at the N’wamitwa Day Celebrations held at Valoyi Cultural Village, Greater Tzaneen in Limpopo. 

Temperatures in the region had reached a scorching 36 degrees on Saturday where the celebrations were being held.

“As he lived with courage and conviction, without regrets about the path he had chosen in life, right to the very end, Pravin was able to demonstrate the same determination, the same singleness of purpose, in the way he addressed this,” Manuel told a briefing the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation held on behalf of Gordhan’s family.

Manuel said he visited Gordhan in hospital with former deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas on Thursday. Gordhan thanked them for coming to see him.

“And then he said, with the greatest of courage: ‘As you can see the end is nigh.’”

Gordhan died of cancer early on Friday, four months into retirement.

He served as minister of public enterprises until May but informed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s executive that he would not return to government after the 29 May elections.

Manuel said Gordhan’s dogged commitment to political activism and public service, regardless of the cost, drew inspiration from Italian Marxist philosopher Antonio Gramsci’s words: “It seems to me that a man ought to be deeply convinced that the source of his own moral force is in himself, his very energy and will.”

“If you asked Pravin about what drove him, why he was never pessimistic in the face of anything, you could go back to this.”

Manuel paid tribute to Gordhan’s central role in organising mass mobilisation against the apartheid regime in the late 1970s and early 1980s, saying it had his “DNA all over it”.

It was Gordhan’s thinking, he said, that the mass protest movement should converge from student, religious, cultural and civic organisations, which then joined under the umbrella of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in 1983.

“The idea of a broad united front was given rise to on the balcony of the flat that he lived in on Edward Street.”

Gordhan succeeded Manuel as finance minister in 2009. In 2017, during his second stint in the portfolio, he was fired by then president Jacob Zuma for resisting state capture. In 2018, Ramaphosa appointed him to head the department of public enterprises.

Manuel said when Gordhan’s legacy is weighed, it should be borne in mind how hard it is to undo the damage corruption did to parastatals. 

“Almost the sole objective of state capture was to liquidate all of our state-owned enterprises,” he said. 

“And so by the time PG is assigned to that department, the cupboards are bare, the debt is high. Look at the debt service costs for Transnet, Eskom … the list is endless. He had to work with the hand he was dealt, and that context becomes very important.

“I think it is very important that we recognise PG’s in rebuilding and giving a new sense of purpose and place to our state-owned enterprises.” 

Manuel said it was more complex to rebuild the state in the wake of the Zuma years than it was 30 years ago after the fall of apartheid because “the resources are not there … you are not starting from ground zero”.

“It is a continuous struggle. What we hope is that the state will be able to protect the gains that are made and continue to advance.”

He said those who had worked closely with Gordhan shared his belief that it was worth the effort, whatever the setbacks.

“We can’t give up that fight. There has to be an even deeper commitment to ensure that we can deliver the objective of a democracy that impacts on the lives of our people is commitment we cannot relent on.”

President Cyril Ramaphosa paid tribute to Gordhan as a stalwart of not only the struggle against apartheid but the fight against corruption.

“We have lost an outstanding leader whose unassuming persona belied the depth of intellect, integrity and energy with which he undertook his activism, his duty as a parliamentarian and his roles as a cabinet member,” the president said.

“In the latter years of this service to the nation, and as a beacon of our fight against corruption, Pravin Gordhan stood up to derision and threats emanating from some in our nation whom were scorched by his insistence that justice be dispensed against those who sought to undermine our democracy and raid our public resources and assets.”

Gordhan will receive an official funeral next week.

Gordhan passed away in hospital in the early hours of Friday morning after being admitted earlier this week for treatment for cancer, his family said in a statement.

The family said Gordhan “passed away peacefully in hospital surrounded by his family, his closest friends and his lifelong comrades in the liberation struggle” after a “short, courageous battle with cancer”.

Gordhan retired after the May elections, having served in a number of cabinet portfolios since 2009 — including finance, local government and public enterprises — and also served as the commissioner of the South African Revenue Service (Sars) for a decade.

“Throughout this career as a political activist … he remained committed to building and strengthening public institutions to support our constitutional democracy. He did this with integrity, fearless courage and resilience,” the family statement said.

“He understood that participation in government was not merely a technical or technocratic role. Rather it was to advance the high public duty that the constitution bestows on all of us: to uplift the poor, eliminate inequalities, fight racism, greed and corruption.”

Godhan was a lifelong political activist who played a key role in the United Democratic Front (UDF) in the 1980s and in the ANC’s underground structures, and was detained in terms of the apartheid-era Internal Security Act on a number of occasions.

Popularly known as “PG”, Gordhan was a skilled technocrat and at the same time a nuanced political operator who was responsible for the creation of a network of civic organisations under the UDF’s umbrella.

He was part of the ANC’s negotiating team during the transition to democracy and served as one of the party’s MPs in the first post-apartheid parliament which sat from 1994.

Gordhan was appointed as finance minister in 2009 by then president Jacob Zuma, but went on to become one of his fiercest critics, leading the fightback against state capture from within the ANC.

He played a key role in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s first administration, but opted to retire from politics after the last elections.

“We have lost an outstanding leader whose unassuming persona belied the depth of intellect, integrity and energy with which he undertook his activism, his duty as a parliamentarian and his roles as a member of cabinet,” Ramaphosa said in a statement.

“Pravin Gordhan’s personal sacrifices and his endeavours and achievements in various sectors of our society endowed him with the insights, empathy and resilience that fuelled his service to the nation.”

Gordhan is survived by his wife Vanitha and daughters Anisha and Priyesha.

This comes as eThekwini metro mayor Cyril Xaba announced at the city’s 2024-25 summer season campaign on Wednesday that work on repairing wastewater treatment plants was nearing completion. 

Xaba said the city expects about 1.3 million visitors and to achieve hotel occupancy of more than 65% in the summer holiday season.

“We want to assure our visitors that we have put measures in place to guarantee their safety and that our beaches as well as swimming pools are safe for swimming,” he said..

“A lot of effort has been put into repairing and upgrading our sanitation infrastructure, especially along the coastal line to prevent raw sewerage from polluting our beaches. This includes the upgrading of 10 wastewater treatment plants which handle 90% of the sewerage in the city.” 

Xaba said work on fixing seven of the plants had been completed and he was awaiting a report regarding the repairs to the remaining three plants.

He added that there was an ongoing programme to ensure that all street lights and CCTV cameras across the city were “fully operational and visible policing had been heightened at tourist attractions”.

According to the latest data released by eThekwini metro on 3 September, five beaches remain closed because of high levels of E coli — Battery, Country Club, eThekwini, Laguna and Reunion.

Asked about these beach closures, Xaba said dealing with the sewerage problem remained a “work in progress”.

Potable water

Apart from the pollution of beach water, eThekwini United Ratepayers, Business and Civics Organisation this week wrote to Ramaphosa, the departments of water and sanitation, forestry fisheries and the environment and cooperative governance and traditional affairs, as well as the South African Human Rights Commission, warning of a impending drinking water crisis. 

This is after high levels of raw sewage entered uMngeni and Msunduzi and rivers. The consequent growth of algae is blocking the filters of  wastewater treatment works plants.  The organisation represents 15 ratepayers associations across the city.

The organisation’s chairperson, Allison Schoeman, warned in the letter that residents were concerned about “the impending risk of a major water shortage” in the metro. 

She highlighted incidents of industrial pollution and sewage contamination of uMngeni and Msunduzi rivers dating back to 2019, saying that by August 2024 the pollution had “reached a tipping point”. The capacity of the Durban Heights Water Treatment Plant to treat water has been caused by algae “that proliferate under conditions created

 by high pollution levels, including untreated sewage and industrial runoff”.   

She said the plant, which supplies about 55% of Durban’s potable water, is as a result now operating under severe strain.

“With Durban’s hot summer season approaching, the algae problem will escalate rapidly, as high temperatures will create ideal conditions for algae proliferation. This will worsen the current situation and could overwhelm the plant’s capacity to treat the water effectively.  The growing risk of the plant losing its operational capacity would have devastating consequences, threatening the livelihoods and health of millions of residents.”

She warned that the government’s failure to urgently act could lead to “catastrophic public health outcomes” and “provoke widespread unrest similar to the violent riots experienced in July 2021.”

In the letter, residents demand: 

• An immediate investigation into the sources of pollution affecting uMngeni and Msunduzi rivers, particularly the causes of the latest spills and ongoing sewage blockages;

• Public disclosure of information regarding the environmental response to the  2019 Willowton industrial spill into the Msunduzi River;

• A detailed remedial action plan to restore the river systems and prevent further contamination; 

• Serious consequence management against officials whose negligence or failure to take swift action led to the current state of the Msunduzi River and its effect on eThekwini’s water supply; and

• A meeting with uMngeni Water, the department of water and sanitation, as well as the municipalities of Msunduzi, uMngeni, uMgungundlovu and eThekwini to discuss steps being taken to prevent a greater water crisis.

Speaking to the Mail & Guardian on Wednesday, Schoeman said she had written the letter driven by a “profound sense of urgency”.

 “We are living through times where the stakes couldn’t be higher, and it feels as though our government and state-owned companies seemingly fail to grasp the magnitude of the challenges,” Schoeman said.

“The violent unrest of 2021 still weighs heavily on us all. So many in our community are still grieving the loss of loved ones, and the emotional scars left by that week have not healed. We live each day with a deep sense of fear.”

She said the effect of eThekwini’s infrastructure failure over the past three years had been “disastrous” and as a professional in the property market for 22 years, business had never been this bad.

“High interest rates have compounded the strain on the property market, but in eThekwini, the challenges go deeper. People no longer want to invest here, fearing the degradation of infrastructure and the lack of meaningful solutions.

“Water is life, and once our water sources are compromised, the cost of securing access will be unbearable for most. Some have already capitalised on the water crisis by establishing a lucrative revenue stream in providing alternative water supply.

“We’re already seeing the elderly in our community making impossible choices between basic hygiene and the ability to afford food. This is the cost of living in eThekwini today — where many sacrifice their dignity just to survive,” Schoeman said.

eThekwini metro spokesperson referred questions regarding the residents’ letter to uMngeni-uThukela Water, which had not responded at the time of publication.

However, uMngeni-uThukela Water said in a statement last week that the increased volumes of algae had clogged the filters of the Durban Heights Water Works and it was working to rid the water of excess algae. 

“Our water quality monitoring has also been increased in order to detect and act against the presence of algae in raw water from the Albert Falls-Nagle Dam system. While the situation has not yet normalised, there are promising signs of a decrease in the algal count.”

Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the Presidential eThekwini Working Group set up in February, comprising “key stakeholders from all levels of government”, has made some progress “supported by the new mayor and other leaders who have been brought in to assist the metro”.

The departments of water and sanitation, forestry, fisheries and the environment and cooperative governance and traditional affairs and Msunduzi municipality had not responded to questions by the time of publication.

Wednesday had been set down at the last August appearance as the date for a pre-trial conference, but a proliferation of “he said, she said” — as Mewalal described the to-and-fro about who was responsible for the latest delay — took up the entire sitting. 

Former state prosecutor Kuveshni Pillay, who is acting as defence advocate for accused Rajen Saunders, had suggested 1 November as the new pre-trial date, but Mewalal responded sharply that it would be “unconscionable” to set the matter down “two months from now”. 

Prior to this, Pillay had told the magistrate that “defence is not ready to set the matter down for pre-trial” and that there had been “unreasonable delays” by the state — a reference to the wait Pillay had experienced for particulars — which she said prejudiced her client.

There was a delay, said Mewalal, but it was not unreasonable, given the court had not set a timeframe for the furnishing of the particulars. She said there were also no grounds for a section 342A enquiry (an investigation into the delays) “at this time”.  

The delays were “déjà vu”, Mewalal said.

“The goalposts always seem to be changing, for whatever reasons,” she said, adding however that there had been progress in the matter, although it was “small”.

“I am anxious to set the trial date. It has been far too long on the court roll. All the matters discussed here have been discussed before,” said Mewalal.

While this was playing out, family and friends of the accused — all out on R3 000 bail — and the victim, were seated in the gallery, also visibly frustrated.

The accused, barring number 15 Eric Carson, who was undergoing knee-replacement surgery, stood casually in the dock and overflowed behind the dock, none appearing particularly anxious. They managed to laugh or smile when Carson’s attorney, Christo van Schalkwyk, cracked a joke.

Mewalal said it would not be “prudent” for the court to continue with Carson not present.

Naidoo’s family has been searching for answers since his father, Timothy, was told by a police captain that Regan died after “choking on a pie” while being questioned at the Chatsworth police station six years ago.

Naidoo was taken in for questioning after alleged hitman Xolani Zunga was shot dead by Chatsworth resident Fardeem Carim, just days before Naidoo’s death.

According to various media reports from the time, Carim witnessed Zungu kill two men. He then shot Zungu using a gun licensed to his deceased father and allegedly also took Zungu’s gun and sold it for R3 000.  

Carim was sentenced to 13 years in prison in 2020.

It was allegedly the search for the firearm that led to the torture and death of Regan just days later, and the torture and attempted murder of Carim, while police were interrogating the men, and one Ahmed Dawood, regarding the whereabouts of the weapon.

In their 2021 bail conditions, the accused were ordered not to directly or indirectly contact Carim or Dawood, among other named witnesses.

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) has said that Naidoo, Dawood and Carim were “picked up from a Caltex Garage on Montford Drive, Chatsworth” at 10pm on 28 August, 2018, for questioning about the weapon. The officers involved in the investigation were attached to the Durban flying squad, the KwaZulu-Natal organised crime unit, the Chatsworth trio crimes unit and the Durban K9 unit.

The officers took Naidoo to his home while they searched for the gun. It was here that he was allegedly assaulted by the police officers for the first time. This, according to Timothy Naidoo, took place in front of his son’s then-pregnant wife.

The three men were then taken to Chatsworth police station for the questioning to continue. According to Ipid’s investigation, Naidoo had “collapsed at the station” by 3am on 29 August.

It remains unclear how long Naidoo was at the police station while in this state. Ipid said he was eventually transported to RK Khan Hospital, about one kilometre away, in a police vehicle, and declared dead.

According to a post mortem examination report conducted by a specialist forensic pathologist at the time of Naidoo’s death, which the Mail & Guardian has seen, the 32-year-old security technician died from a blunt force head injury.

Naidoo also sustained multiple fractured ribs, lung contusions and subdural haemorrhage. Two ribs were noted as being “exposed”.

He had no traces or alcohol or illegal drugs in his system, as per a blood toxicology analysis.

The pre-trial conference was eventually scheduled for 18 October.

Smiso Nkosi, the deputy director in the office of Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) commissioner Teboho Maruping, on Tuesday highlighted the findings of the department’s Follow the Money project, which aims to verify the R62.3 billion of TERS payments distributed during 2020 and 2021.

Nkosi said the aim of the project was to ensure the funds did reach the intended beneficiaries at the right time and were not abused or misused by employers. The department had employed 27 firms to complete the verification process.

He said the department had so far verified R34.7 billion in payouts, of which R2.5 billion in fraudulent payments had been recovered so far. Most cases were uncovered in Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal, followed by the Eastern Cape, the Free State and the Western Cape.

Among the invalid claims uncovered during the audit have been instances where employers deducted a UIF fee on Ters funds, employers told workers they were giving them the funds merely as loans and staff were paid less than was due to them.

In one case a company that was supposedly based in the Free State had defrauded the department of R 1 770 249 by filing claims using the identity numbers of people who were not employees, Nkosi said.

“The business had never traded before lockdown and was based in the Free State. The ‘employees’ they applied for are in KZN and when we spoke to them they said they had never been to the Free State,” he said during a seminar for employers in Umhlanga.

In other cases the directors of a company where employees had last worked in 1980 resigned immediately after receiving R 2 923 481.38 in Ters funds; a café with just three employees applied for 306 staff and got payouts totalling R 3 706 848.98; and in a third case a resident claimed R582 000.40 for a local business that did not exist and was never registered with the Companies Intellectual Property Commission.

Elsewhere, an employer collected identity numbers to claim R 1 933 690.25 and after the matter was investigated signed an admission of debt for the full amount received. Another employer who colluded with a labour broker and Zimbabweans to claim R 14 033 858.39 for fictitious employees has also signed an admission of debt.

Nkosi said 16 people have been convicted of committing Ters-related fraud, theft and money laundering crimes and face sentences ranging from suspended prison terms to 20 years direct imprisonment.

All companies to which benefits were directly into their bank accounts to disburse funds to their employees will be investigated for potential fraud, he added.

“We are a department that has zero tolerance for fraud. Our methods of recovery are different and once we follow the money to fraud it goes to the Fusion Centre,” Nkosi said.

The centre is a governmental anti-corruption task team that was founded in 2020, comprising the National Prosecuting Authority, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations (the Hawks), the South African Police Service and the Asset Forfeiture Unit.

Nkosi said businesses’ assets such as vehicles and cars that had been purchased with fraudulently obtained funds would be seized by the state and sold to recover the money, while perpetrators face criminal charges.

He advised employers who realise they have erred from following the law regarding Ters payments to admit this upfront to auditors and resolve the matter so their cases can be closed.

Last week, the Mail & Guardian reported that vets are leaving the country by the hundreds annually, resulting in a shortage that the sector is struggling to plug. This has been felt particularly in rural regions.

In a statement, Steenhuisen said the agriculture department is making a “firm commitment to ensuring the working conditions of animal health practitioners are improved in South Africa.” 

He added that the shortage has a far-reaching implications including animal health, biosecurity and food security, while acknowledging that veterinarians don’t have enough resources, medicines and remuneration. 

South Africa is well below the international norm in terms of the ratio of veterinarians per population.

The president of the South African Veterinary Association, Paul van der Merwe, said the global standard is for 200 to 400 veterinarians per million people, but South Africa has only 60 veterinarians per million. He said the veterinary association receives frequent reports of practices closing in rural areas, either for financial reasons or because of staff shortages.

In its statement on Monday, the agriculture department said South Africa has 4 000 registered veterinarians.

A 2022 survey from the association showed that the majority of vets leaving the country were younger than 25. Reasons for the exodus include safety, economic concerns, career growth, the working environment and the regulation of veterinary services.

On Monday, Steenhuisen said he was aware of the gravity of the situation, given that veterinarians play a crucial role in safeguarding the agricultural sector. 

“Veterinarians are a cornerstone of South Africa’s agricultural success, and without addressing the systemic issues they face, we risk jeopardising not only their well-being but the nation’s food security,” he said.

The doors of the library have been closed since the Covid-19 pandemic. A year later, Emergency Management Services said the building was not compliant as it had major structural damage and it would be closed indefinitely for renovations.

Three years have passed since that announcement, and the library’s doors remain closed to the public. The Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) has pencilled in a partial reopening for March 2025 subject to the contractor’s appointment. 

The 89-year-old library houses more than 1.5 million books, as well as special collections such as the Africana in the Harold Strange Collection of African Studies, the Michaelis art collection, the performing arts collection, the newspaper and picture collection and the children’s book collection. 

In August, Johannesburg councillors opened the doors of the library momentarily to some members of the public for a site inspection. 

The building felt gloomy and abandoned. 

The ceiling on the third floor had water stains and the paint was peeling, while fine cracks were visible around the edges. Library rooms were shut and the books inside them lifeless, unused and collecting dust. Wooden blocks on the floor were coming loose and some ceiling panels in the room housing the African Studies collection were broken. 

The Johannesburg Heritage Foundation and Johannesburg Crisis Alliance have been lobbying for the phased reopening of the library and have said they are willing to work with authorities, which includes the JDA, the City’s implementing agency, to speed up the process. 

They are meeting regularly to track the progress of the library’s reopening. At a meeting last month, the JDA confirmed that the first phase of repairs had been completed in July. This included replacing the roof, light fittings in the basement, wiring in distribution boards and external gutters and downpipes, including new waterproofing membrane. This cost the city R22  million.

The second phase of the repairs will cost the city R54  million, and includes building works such as alterations, waterproofing, carpentry and joinery, ceilings, partitions, access flooring, floor coverings, ironmongery, metalwork, glazing and paintwork; mechanical installations, including the heat, ventilation and air conditioning system, fire protection, smoke detection and toilet ventilation; and electrical installations. 

The JDA said the scope of works is geared towards making the building compliant with the fire and building regulations.

The contract for full repairs is 10  months, and the first meeting with the contractor was held on 26 August, they said. 

Johannesburg Heritage Foundation chairperson David Fleminger previously told the Mail & Guardian that it could take longer than 10 months.  

“They’ve spoken to the various departments at Emergency Management Services, and they say that it’s going to take 10 months from when the contractors get access to the property before the library gets reopened.

“We said that’s not really satisfactory. That’s not why we’re all here trying to advocate for the library to be reopened. It’s a matter of urgency and we stressed that we want to see the sense of urgency around this issue.” 

While the treasures in the city’s biggest library are collecting dust, a number of other libraries are suffering a similar fate. 

Out of the 89 libraries in the city, including satellites, eight libraries are closed. The city confirmed the following: 

• Protea North: Closed as a result of structural defects and is on the list of planned maintenance for the 2024-25 financial year

• Brixton: Demolished and a new library is under construction

• Murray Park: A new library is under construction in the 2024-25 financial year

• Southdale: Closed since October 2022 after a roof caved in after during a storm

• Eldorado Park Extension Two: closed because of structural defects. It is near completion and to be opened in the new financial year

• Ennerdale Extension Nine: Closed because of structural defects 

• Poortjie: Upgrades have been completed and the staff are prepared for it to be opened in July

• Johannesburg City Library: Closed because of major capital projects and repair and maintenance.

The Ennerdale Extension Nine library has been closed since 2018, said Nonkosi Maliti, a community organiser for ward 7 and member of Action for Accountability, adding that the city has not yet confirmed when it will be reopened.

She said its closure has been a great loss to the Ennerdale and Finetown residents in the south of Johannesburg. 

“Most of the young people in Finetown were using that library, because in Finetown we don’t even have a library. Now we only have one library in Extension One in Ennerdale, and it’s far for most of the young people.” 

The Extension One library is in the civic centre, which has a hall and offices for the housing and human settlements department — all of which are functioning — but the library is closed for renovation. 

Maliti said she used to have community meetings and events in the library. Before it closed it was not in a bad state, but there was a shortage of books and some equipment. 

“That library is needed for the community because, to be honest, most of the students are studying at the libraries, especially in Finetown, because they don’t have electricity. So, those young people are only going to the library to study.

“It’s difficult for them to go to Lenasia because it is too far and they have to take a taxi to get there.” 

City spokesperson Nthatisi Modingoane said Ennerdale Extension Nine Library is on the list of planned maintenance for the 2024-25 financial year, but extensive work is required for all closed facilities and it has high capital cost implications.

“The libraries will be repaired as per priority (for example, access to other libraries within a certain radius) and cost implications,” Modingoane said. 

According to the city’s draft medium-term budget for 2024-25, community development projects were allocated R45.6 million, and R640  000 to libraries’ operational capital. 

Community development projects include reading and resource development, library services access, mass participation and recreation, sport development and access to facilities and services. 

The Brixton Library, under construction, is on the premises of the Brixton Multipurpose Centre in Mayfair West. A safety officer on site, who asked not to be named, said progress has been slow and there are not enough workers because there were problems with their pay. 

Modingoane said the library was demolished in the 2018-19 financial year and is part of a precinct development project implemented by the Johannesburg Development Agency. 

“The library had serious structural defects and could not be extended and upgraded as part of the precinct development. Thus, the decision [was taken] to demolish the building. The books and furniture are kept in storage — most of the books will now be outdated.” 

He said the Covid-19 pandemic delayed a number of their projects but it was worse in the case of the Brixton Library, because the appointed contractor could not deliver on time. He said the library would be completed in 2024-25 financial year. 

The Southdale Library in Robertsham in the south of Johannesburg is a sore sight for any book lover. Situated in a busy shopping centre, the floor of the entrance to the library door is covered with dry leaves, the gate and glass door behind it are closed. A flimsy box with lost clothing items blocks the way and a return box for books is covered in bird droppings and dust. 

Through the dusty glass doors is a sight of complete abandonment. The roof of the library had caved in after a storm in October 2022 and what was once filled with shelves of books lay bare, broken and open to the sky. Birds have found a home in this graveyard of knowledge and stories. 

Modingoane said it is also on the list of planned maintenance for 2024-25 financial year. 

Among its projects, the city has recently renovated the Rabie Ridge Library, the Poortjie Library, the Eldorado Park Extension Two Library and the Randburg Library. 

The Randburg Library, in a community service centre with a clinic and a licensing department, is modest in size with a bit of an old-fashioned charm. It is the only library that has solar facilities and was built in collaboration with Nestlé Bar-One after they realised that library facilities need to be kept open during load-shedding. 

“Randburg Library was selected based on its location and usage by young people,” Modingoane said. 

He added that the provision of solar power at other libraries is subject to budget availability, but the city was welcoming donations to extend this kind of project. 

The children’s section opens up behind the librarians and their assistants. It has small tables and chairs, and the wooden shelves lining up against each other were only half full. They contain fiction and non-fiction books, including sections titled “Juvy Fiction”, “Foreign” and “English Fiction”. 

Around the corner are classroom-style rows of desks and chairs, where a handful of people were reading and studying. 

Tlangelani Nkwane and her friend were spending the afternoon in the library in preparation for their chartered accountancy exams. They’ve been going every day from 10am until 4pm, except on weekends because the library is closed.

Nkwane said she used to go to libraries when she was a child and started coming to the Randburg Library when she moved to Johannesburg to attend university.

“They provide an opportunity to meet people with similar interests as you, and it’s also a hideout for me; a place where I can be absorbed in my own world,” she said. 

She said she enjoys the Randburg Library, in particular, because it is quiet and it’s clean, but would like for it to be opened on weekends. 

The information section in the library had career guidance pamphlets for students and four desktop computers. The shelves contain non-fiction, fantasy, romance, Westerns and Afrikaans books. There are also classics and books by African writers. 

A man was seated in a sunny, reading corner engrossed in a book about organic farming. 

A mother walked in with her son of about 12, seeking to join the library. She was directed to a link on the City of Johannesburg’s website to register and become a library member. The boy looked around, half-fascinated and half-intimidated by this world he has just entered. 

Books for the city’s libraries are sourced from approved suppliers. 

Modingoane said the suppliers are selected through a tender process advertised nationally and the contract is valid for three years. The procurement process is done centrally and professional librarians city-wide select the books. 

Although the library was not filled to capacity, Modingoane said libraries continue to store books even if they are outdated. 

“Libraries do not discard or throw away books because they are outdated. We look at the literary value of each item, and those that are damaged through age or have lost their value are written off and form part of the Friends Book Sale.” 

The city also offers online information resources, including e-books, e-journals and e-newspapers.

The Noordgesig Library in Soweto was recently renovated and was opened in 2021. It is architecturally modern on the outside and brilliantly spacious and bright inside. With two floors and various activity rooms, the library provides a neat space for people in the surrounding area to learn and interact. 

The bottom section is separated into a children’s section that contains interactive, quirky and bright furniture. The bookshelves are lined against the walls, which are painted with colourful figures of animals and people. 

A much smaller space is dedicated to adult books. They’re kept on steel shelves that stand beside each other, but they’re not filled to capacity. 

When asked about the dead space, Modingoane said they are aware of the low stock of books. 

“It is acknowledged that the book stock at Noordgesig, as well as many other libraries, is not on acceptable standard. This is due to Covid-19 that interrupted the tender process and libraries could not purchase books for three years. 

“However, for the past two financial years, subscription to electronic resources increased and books are being purchased — the focus is on books for children. 

“In the coming financial year most of the funds will be spent on books. It must also be noted that the needs and usage of a library are also determined by the community. It is not a one-size-fits-all,” he said. 

The Noordgesig Library has ample space and potential to become something more for the surrounding neighbourhood, and two community convenors have recognised this. 

Fabian and Lavinia Otto run holiday programmes for children from the age of three to get involved in the initiatives and learn more about the area that they live in. 

They are also hoping to start a history room in the library. 

“The reason we thought of the history room is because the kids at our local primary school got homework about their school and when they came to the local library there was nothing for them. They had to find out from this person and that person,” said Lavinia.

The walls in the neighbourhood have murals of the local community hero and legend Mama Glava, who ran food and community projects before her death. 

The Ottos spearheaded many of the projects in what they call the “Noordgesig Plaza”, which has an amphitheatre for children’s performances, a swimming pool and a hall with the library. The local shops are painted with Mama Glava’s touch. 

“This history room is not just about the school. It’s about the history, culture and heritage of Noordgesig. This place played a pivotal role when it comes to the politics under the apartheid government. That is also what we want to teach them,” Lavinia said. 

Fabian, who is proud of what he and his wife have achieved and continue to do for the Noordgesig community, said the history room is another form of education for the public. 

“It will bring so much vibrance and education for people to come in to be educated.” 

They started the project in September 2023 and have hit bureaucratic hurdles along the way, but are hoping to open the history room in the library in September this year. 

For the people who take pleasure in books and the magical worlds created by authors, libraries are a haven. But they’re also becoming a museum of the past, especially as more knowledge is transferred online. 

The library in Lenasia South has retained its neatness and serenity. 

The library stores encyclopaedias, reference books and A to Z collections of world books for general knowledge. Health education pamphlets are spread across the front table.

It was quiet, except for the few people strolling around the library. 

Two women lamented about the selection of books, which they said had not been updated in a very long time. 

They added that the books were not organised alphabetically either. 

The City of Johannesburg’s libraries are treasure troves, but some have become a dying space. 

Modingoane said they are still cultivating the culture of libraries and books. 

“Two beautiful and much-needed libraries are also being constructed in Kaalfontein and Matholesville. Completion is planned for 2024-2025-2026 financial years,” he said, adding that books are being purchased in the meantime.

In the case of the Johannesburg City Library, Fleminger said despite the failures and flaws, there is still hope to revive the city’s library, and all it contains.

Most of the exodus has occurred in rural regions, undermining the care of livestock.

The president of the South African Veterinary Association, Paul van der Merwe, said the rate at which veterinarians are leaving has picked up, with more than 100 vets emigrating each year.

He said the international norm is for 200 to 400 veterinarians per million of the population, but South Africa has only 60 veterinarians per million. In addition, the veterinary association receives frequent reports of practices closing in rural areas, either for financial reasons or because of staff shortages.

“With a shortage of veterinarians in rural areas, the health and welfare of production animals cannot be guaranteed anymore, with a direct impact on food safety and security, which in turn has a direct impact on the health and well-being of humans,” Van der Merwe said.

“Furthermore, disease control and biosecurity are not optimal, with failures in the system leading to disease outbreaks such as foot-and-mouth disease, African swine fever and avian influenza, to name a few. This has the potential to spill over to humans, as could be seen with Covid-19.”

According to a 2022 survey by the veterinary association, the majority of qualified vets leaving the country were younger than 25. It said 21% of people aged 25 to 29 had already begun the emigration process, while 38% indicated being fairly certain of emigrating, even if only for a limited period. Only 41% said they were willing to stay in South Africa.

Reasons for the exodus include safety, security and economic concerns, career growth, the working environment and the regulation of veterinary services.

Van der Merwe said all this was despite “huge” interest in the field.

“The faculty of veterinary science receives far more applications than they can accommodate. They have a very strict selection process. Unfortunately, the selection process is no guarantee that more veterinarians would like to work in rural areas,” he said.

Of concern was that only 60% of state veterinary posts were filled. 

Tod Collins, a vet of more than 50 years who works with cattle and other large animals in KwaZulu-Natal, said the departure of veterinarians was a worrying trend.

“The offers they get from overseas financially, we battle to match them here in South Africa at the moment, and they are much stricter with their working hours, and the physicality of their work seems to be a lot less stressful compared to the South African vets; and remuneration packages are very tempting for young vets to go across there to pay off student loans,” he said.

“It’s making the vets that are in the country work even harder because they are fewer doing the amount of work that they should be more vets for.” 

Collins said this was also leading to unskilled people filling some positions.

The compulsory community services programme places 140 veterinarians every January. Some get absorbed into the sector but others choose to go abroad, said Dipepenene Serage, the deputy director general for agricultural production, biosecurity and natural resources management at the department of agriculture, rural development and land reform.

“Our concern is that most of our newly qualified vets are absorbed by the private sector or other countries. Yes, there is a shortage, but it’s not dire,” he said.

“What is important is that at the moment farmers are able to access veterinary services. Farmers in communal farming setups are serviced by state vets. So far we are managing, even though the shortage puts some strain on the current workforce. There are plans to have another additional university to offer this qualification, which at the moment is offered only by the University of Pretoria.”

Veterinarians in rural regions earn less than those in the city, and many of them have started trading in medicine or animal remedies with farmers to help supplement their income, but this is not sustainable and could contribute to more people leaving the sector, Collins said.

“There is no life here,” 31-year-old Munira Rajab, who lived on the fourth floor of the Usindiso building, told the Mail & Guardian during a visit to the Denver shelter on the outskirts of Johannesburg’s city centre. It houses scores of homeless people including 12 who were affected by last year’s fire.

“We are far from the city centre so we can’t even get jobs easily, and there is no money for me and my child to survive. It has been one year but we are in the same situation that we were in after the fire.”

Rajab, who has a 16-month-old daughter, said she is the sole breadwinner after her husband — a Tanzanian — was deported after failing to produce his documentation to the Usindiso commission of inquiry into the fire. She says his documents were burnt in the inferno.

In May, a report by the Khampepe commission of inquiry into the cause of the fire found that many of the tenants were undocumented people from Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Lesotho and Kenya. Following the inquiry, 32 people from other countries were arrested and placed in a repatriation centre. 

The commission said it collected 340 written statements from victims.

Human rights groups, including ProBono.Org, took the matter to the Johannesburg high court and argued that the victims “were valuable witnesses” in the inquiry. In December 2023, the department of home affairs was interdicted from deporting the victims until the commission of inquiry had made its findings.

After the Usindiso fire, 248 people agreed to be moved to various shelters, according to court documents, although some refused to be relocated for fear of deportation.

A Malawian told the M&G this week that she had been asked to provide her immigration documents to the commission but could not do so because they were burnt in the fire. She said she had then run away from the scene. 

“They were asking for my documents and I knew that they were going to provide me false hope that they won’t deport me but knowing the situation I had to get away,” the 32-year-old mother of two children said. 

Some survivors of the fire are still detained at the Lindela Repatriation Centre in Krugersdorp, awaiting deportation.

A woman who lost her husband in the fire said she has not had any stability since the incident, and has not been able to bring her five children to live with her in a shack that is about 3m wide.

The Denver shelter, which is along a gravel road off Main Reef Road, consists of 220 zinc shacks, 15 communal toilets at the property’s entrance and power lines stretching into the air to provide electricity. 

According to one of the victims, Johannesburg electricity utility City Power organised a raffle for some of the shelter’s inhabitants to be given jobs as labourers at the shelter.

“They put our name in a bowl and then pull out maybe 10 names and then if your name gets pulled out, you get a job — if you’re lucky,” said Thobika Biyela, 27, who was one of the casual labourers. 

A person in City Power’s communication department confirmed that a raffle was organised for the shelter’s residents to get employment. 

The victims said they had been initially promised that Denver was a temporary shelter, but it had now been nine months since officials had communicated with them. 

“We have so many questions for them: is the electricity going to be temporary? What about the victims that are still living on the roads? What happens when the victims come back from hospital? Is the government going to take our accommodation away to house them? There are no answers on this,” said Biyela. 

Usindiso was one of 188 “bad buildings” in Johannesburg that are under investigation by city authorities, former mayor Kabelo Gwamanda previously said. The Khampepe commission confirmed it had analysed buildings in the inner city that have been flagged as “hijacked”. 

Johannesburg’s new mayor, Dada Morero, says reclaiming hijacked buildings is a “bigger” problem than initially thought.

The inmates of the Denver shelter are among more than 25 000 homeless people in  Gauteng, according to the 2022 Census. 

The provincial department of social development has identified eight shelters for the homeless in Johannesburg, including the Immaculata shelter in Rosebank, Frida Hartley  in Yeoville, the Wembley Stadium shelter, the City of Johannesburg shelter for the homeless on Kotze Street and MES in Jeppestown. 

Sister John, who manages the Immaculata Shelter, said there had been a spike in homeless people coming to the facility in recent years. 

“Johannesburg is a city and that is causing the influx — people come for jobs and oftentimes they can’t afford the stay here so they are then left homeless while they look for security.” 

She urged the government to develop abandoned buildings into decent shelter for the homeless.

““There was Usindiso and I’m sure there are many other abandoned buildings in Johannesburg. Why doesn’t the department of social development evaluate these buildings and put people to live in them? It’s that simple; they have the money and the ability to do that,” she said.

“Just one building; get an engineer involved even and see how it turns out so that we can get people off the street and into a space where they can think and find security to move on to the next step of their lives.”