Address by Mpumalanga MEC for Culture, Sport and Recreation Mns Sibongile Manana during the official opening of Silindile Library

Programme Director
Executive Mayor of Msukaligwa Municipality: Clr Vilakazi
Councillors present here
Inkosi Malaza and other traditional leaders
Government officials
Invited guests
Ladies and gentleman

Today we gather here to mark another milestone in the programme of government of delivering services to its people. This event takes place six weeks before the local government elections scheduled for 18 May 2011. Our people shall be exercising one of their hard fought right on the day and cast ballot choosing their preferred candidates and party. As we do that I would to appeal that be responsible in our conduct and behaviour.

The ability of a nation to use and create knowledge as capital determines its capacity to empower and enable its citizens by increasing human capabilities. The role of libraries in our communities cannot be overemphasised. By their very essence libraries either have an intrinsic value as an end in themselves or more commonly they are a resource that serves the wider population. As a result of this, libraries must serve in measurable and tangible ways that respond to targeted investment and expected outcomes.

The culture of learning must take the central place in our lives because information is power. The library is above all a place for learners, whether individually, in groups or in families. It is the resource centre, the place- both physical and online, for the independent learner. However, the digitisation not just of materials but of the learning process itself is evolving and we must make sure that we remain relevant and up to date.

Government is providing these kinds of services so that our communities can be empowered with relevant information for them to be able to make proper planning and take sound decision. Others would say information is power and undoubtedly, government need to be praised for increasing access to our communities.

Programme director, libraries matter to the matter to people. Even those who do not use them regularly care about what happens to them because they recognise what they stand for, that they exist to ensure that everyone has access to the knowledge, books and information they need to help them enjoy and make a success of their lives.

Not withstanding the above, we have experienced the burning down of libraries in the past. It is evident that the need to educate our people on the importance of libraries cannot be underestimated. A library provides a universal nature of service that is free and open to all, giving access to knowledge, information and entertainment available in print, digital and audio forms. Proper and adequate use of this service yield positive outcomes such as improved literacy, educational attainment and better informed and knowledgeable citizens. These are the significant contributor to the quality of people’s lives from childhood to old age.

Programme director we remain committed as a department to ensure that our libraries are developed in line with the changing digital world and continuously improve them so that people can always us and enjoy them in different ways at different times in their lives. We need to make sure that library services are also responding to the growing demand for e-books.

Our role is to mobilise our young and adult population to utilise public libraries. Equally as we do that, we also need to find ways of ensure that our people are encouraged to be publishers and that their books hit the shelves of all our public libraries. They have the capacity to tell the correct stories, culture and tradition about our history.

Literacy is the key driver for social mobility. Libraries can help people to re-engage with learning and improve their literacy skills. We expect our children to take advantage of this opportunity. This will be monitored through the implementation of the FUNDZA for FUN project. Children’s borrowing from libraries will be expected to rise to measure the benefits and outcomes of the FUNDZA for FUN project.

Programme director, our vision of increasing access to library services remains intact. As we do so, we will, working together with the communities, ensure that libraries become the fountain of knowledge to our people and that they are well taken care of.

I thank you

Source: Mpumalanga Department of Culture, Sport and Recreation