Note to editors: the following speech was delivered by City of Cape Town
Executive Mayor, Patricia de Lille, at the opening of the American Corner at the Central Library today, 22 October 2015.
US Consul-General, Teddy Taylor
Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Special Projects,
Alderman Belinda Walker
American Corners International Coordinator, Macon Phillips
Library officials
Members of the media
Good morning, goeie môre, molweni, as-salaam alaikum, shalom.
It is indeed a pleasure for me to be here today as we officially open this wonderful innovative space which will provide library users with a range of hitech tools and resources.
As part of our undertaking to build an opportunity city, we have committed to providing residents with access to services to equip themselves with the knowledge and skills to enter the job market.
We have also set ourselves a goal of becoming the Digital Capital of Africa through the widespread provision of internet and Wi-Fi services.
We understand that access to reliable, fast internet connectivity is vital to education and a growing an economy.
Since 2012, the City has invested R544 million in capital expenditure for broadband infrastructure by rolling out an extensive broadband network, installing more than 700 km of fibre-optic cable.
We will be investing a further R1,3 billion as part of our multi-year broadband infrastructure investment programme.
101 libraries in the city have SmartCape internet services and our Wi-Fi expansion at libraries is well under way.

We have also started the roll-out of free Wi-Fi at City buildings and set ourselves a target of providing a free Wi-Fi hotspot in every ward in the next three years.
In August 2014, we also launched another exciting addition to our library services with the online Encyclopaedia Britannica licence extending to include access on all internet-enabled mobile and smart devices.
This means that our registered library users will have access to the trusted
Encyclopaedia Britannica resource 24 hours a day, from anywhere, using their smart devices.
This R2 million investment into the renewal of the licence represents our commitment to building a caring city, committed to redress by bringing quality services to all residents.
It is therefore with great excitement that we open this R3,5 million state-ofthe-art innovative space funded by the United States Consulate which ties in with our objectives and will indeed bring limitless benefits to our residents.
The space for the American Corner has been provided free of charge and our SmartCape facilities will provide the internet access for the various devices.
Our library services officials will play a supporting role in the various facets of this space and arrange regular cultural and educational programmes.
This partnership with the United States Consulate will take service delivery to the next level, with access to courses and some of the most advanced digital equipment like MacBooks, ChromeBooks, iPads, digital cameras, video equipment, various creative software programs and high-speed Wi-Fi.
Our library users will have endless knowledge at their fingertips through this innovative hub.
The American Corner will draw resources and knowledge from local partners in entrepreneurship, journalism, photography, filmmaking, coding, CV-writing and solar powered technology to host workshops and classes.
One of the first courses on offer will be Saturday coding classes which will enable participants to learn skills to create websites and apps.
This opportunity is an ideal fit for the City’s Open Data Portal, launched in
January this year, where the City makes its data available in a useable format at no charge.

This enables government to tap into the creativity of entrepreneurs and organisations that can use the wealth of information in the City for the development of innovative applications and other projects.
The importance of digital access cannot be underestimated as we need to compete in an ever-changing, fast-moving world where information and education is vital for accessing opportunities.
In closing, I would like to thank the United States Consulate for this investment which provides an added boost to the digital offering in our city and assists us in taking another step towards becoming the Digital Capital of Africa.
I also encourage all library users to register and get an American Corner card and unlock a new world of opportunities through using the innovative materials available here.
Thank you, baie dankie, enkosi.