GOOD Statement by Roscoe Palm ,
GOOD City of Cape Town Councillor
13 February 2024
The Tokai Public Library, in ward 71, has spent R15,000 of city funds not on books but on gaming equipment.
To make matters worse, the R15,000 was spent on a secondhand PS4 unit with a used controller and one new controller. According to our research a new PS4 can be purchased for around R9,000.
As GOOD we question whether a second-hand procurement is a lawful transaction.
Despite the questionable spending, the unit remains locked in a cupboard and not set up.
The fund allocation is part of a programme to try lure youngsters into the library.
But is a gaming unit really the best way to encourage reading when South Africa is facing a literacy crisis?
The recent Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) released in 2024 revealed that more than 80% of South African Grade 4 pupils cannot read for meaning.
The City of Cape Town has 100 libraries and one satellite library. According to the City’s website, libraries not only loan out books but provide access to electronic resources and community programmes and events.
This transaction may be small but it is symbolic of the poor decision-making and the unnecessary allocation of resources.
The GOOD Party calls on the City of Cape town to distribute their limited funds for libraries more wisely.
Media enquiries: media@forgood.org.za