Vodacom has partnered with the Joburg City Council and the Department of Public Works to build a R14 million Jabavu Library, billed as the largest and best equipped of its kind in Soweto.
The Vodacom Foundation provided sponsorship worth R3.1 million, with R1.6 million used for the construction of the children's wing of the library, and R1.5 million towards IT equipment and furniture for the library as a whole, said Mthobi Tyamzashe, CEO of Vodacom Foundation.
The library is the culmination of years of planning by partners, and is in line with the vision of Vodacom CEO Alan Knott-Craig to invest in a library, as he himself is an avid reader, he says.
The Jabavu Library will provide a state-of-the-art centre for residents of Soweto, said councillor Nandi Mayathula-Khosa in her opening address.
This includes a business corner, an audiovisual section (known as the Youth Cool area), computers with Internet access, a children's section, an activity room and a study area, she said.
The centre will also offer computer training in due course, she noted.
The project is part of the work done by the Vodacom Foundation to complement government's efforts in the area of education, says Tyamzashe.
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