Students and staff from all South African public universities can now access free WiFi even when they are outside of campus, at 36 libraries owned by the City of Johannesburg (CoJ).
This announcement, courtesy of Wits University, its technical partner, the Tertiary Education and Research Network of South Africa (TENET) and the CoJ, comes ahead of the 2025 new academic year.
According to a statement from Wits, their Eduroam connectivity service has been rolled out in public libraries in Johannesburg and will provide students, researchers and staff from all public universities with “secure wi-fi access, supporting learning, teaching, and research beyond the traditional campus setting”.
Students and staff can connect to the internet via Eduroam by downloading the “geteduroam” application from any app store, setting up their profile and login using their institutional credentials, that is their student/staff e-mail and password.
"By bringing eduroam to libraries, we are making a tangible difference in access to educational resources, especially for those without reliable internet at home," said Dr Stanley Mpofu, Wits' Chief Information Officer and Chair of Higher Education Information Technology South Africa (HEITSA) representing SA's 26 public universities.
The list of public libraries where the free WiFi can be accessed:
CoJ Blackheath Public Library
CoJ Boskruin Public Library
CoJ Bryanston Public Library
CoJ Coronationville Public Library
CoJ Eldorado Park Ext 5 Library
CoJ Emmarentia Public Library
CoJ Emndeni Public Library
CoJ Florida Public Library
CoJ Glenanda Public Library
CoJ Ivory Park North Public Library
CoJ Ivory Park Public Library
CoJ Killarney Public Library
CoJ Lehae Public Library
CoJ Lenasia Ext 1 Public Library
CoJ Library Gardens
CoJ Mayfair Public Library
CoJ Newlands Public Library
CoJ Noordgesig Public Library
CoJ Norscot Manor Public Library
CoJ Parkhurst Public Library
CoJ Phiri Public Library
CoJ Pimville Public Library
CoJ Randburg Public Library
CoJ Rhodes Park Public Library
CoJ River Park Public Library
CoJ Rivonia Public Library
CoJ Roodepoort Public Library
CoJ Rosebank Public Library
CoJ Linden Public Library
CoJ Sandton Public Library
CoJ Westbury Public Library
CoJ Wilropark Public Library
CoJ Witpoortjie Public Library
CoJ Rosettenville Public Library
CoJ Sandringham Public Library
CoJ Rabie Ridge Community Library