18 Oct 2016

In the centre of Thamaga, just behind the Rural Administration Centre lies a public library, one of the landmarks in the village.

It was all smiles on the morning of October 24, 1987 when the then Minister of Labour and Home Affairs, Mr Englishman Kgabo officially opened the library. 

The smiles remain the embodiment of the library.

At a corner near the counter, there are few traditional items such as kika, leselo, segai and a shield, an indication that the library still preserves culture. 

Two men who have been with the library since its early days; Mr Tlhaolang Kenosi (50) and Mr Atlasaone Gabarongwe have all the ingredients of botho. 

They served as library attendants since its infancy, having been with it for 28 and 25 years respectively.

Mr Kenosi, who was around when the grand opening took place, narrates how Thamaga residents were excited to have a library in their village. 

“People were exhilarated, the official opening was beautiful and many people knew that the library will change their lives,” he said.

Having to walk two kilometres to work every morning was not a barrier as the two men seemed to love their job and working with people clearly satisfied their souls as they are still doing their work with passion and enthusiasm.

The library opened with nothing but only books in it, today it boasts of 30 computers, all but four of them connected to the internet, something Mr Gabarongwe hails as a great achievement and sign of growth. 

“When our library opened, we only had books in it that people relied on for research.

 Things started changing for the better in 2013 when we were given eight computers,” he said.

Because the eight computers were not enough to serve all their clients, he said they were forced to limit each client to 30 minutes of use. 

Recalling the past, Mr Kenosi said that libraries used to open at 7:30am and close at 8pm, something he said catered even for the working class to access the library after hours. 

“People in the past used the library a lot, mostly after hours when they knocked off from work. We even used to have elderly people from the public sector who would come and do some research,” he recalled.

He however, said unfortunately the arrangement did not last for long as people were often attacked and robbed when they went home late from the library. Currently the libraries close at 6pm.

Despite changes of time, today when one passes by the Thamaga library people can still be found in their cars and some with camp chairs using the wi-fi late at night.

“We have a lot of young people coming into our library today because they have access to free wi-fi and this is good because technology has advanced and times have changed,” said Mr Kenosi.

Mr Kenosi said that it is a pity that after the connection of the internet, people appear to now shun the books, something he said should be a concern. 

Mr Gabarongwe explained that the library does not only offer books and free internet, but that they are also involved in giving back to the community and helping the students. 

“We have identified crèches in Thamaga that we assist with teaching materials and we have also made an arrangement with Magalatladi Primary School to offer their standard 6 and 7 students remedial work,” he said.

For her part, the Principal Library Officer Ms Pinkie Gwaranti applauded the elderly in the village for embracing their free computer lessons.

“It’s very encouraging to see an elderly person desiring to know the basics of a computer. Technology has become part of our daily lives and this is good because they will be able to perform many tasks that require computer knowledge without the need for assistance,” she said.

Early this year the library managed to graduate 40 clients in ICT and this time around Ms Gwaranti believes more people will graduate looking at the fact that they have more computers.

Although she is new in the station, Ms Gwaranti seems to be impressed by the cooperation between residents of Thamaga and the library staff, describing the relationship as “amazing and fulfilling” to the extent that even the district commissioner relies on the library staff to run some activities in the village.

“Mr Kenosi and Mr Gabarongwe seem to have won the hearts of the community because they often come to them even on issues that are not their core mandate,” she said.  

On whether the wi-fi is the reason they flood the library, one of the regulars, Mr Karabo Tshole rather said the reception by the attendants is the reason they come back often as they are friendly and helpful.

The library has a room for kids with four computers, a television set and toys. ENDS