A nine-year-old boy was rescued from a Cape Town library after falling asleep while waiting for his father, only to wake up to find himself locked inside after closing time. 

The frightened child had been waiting at the Central Library on Parade Street for his father to finish his shift at a nearby barbershop in the East City on Thursday. However, library staff closed the building at 16h00 and went home, unknowingly leaving the boy inside. 

According to the Cape Town Central City Improvement District (CCID), the boy woke at about 18h45 to find the library dark and deserted. 

Jurie Bruwer, head of CCID Safety & Security, said the child panicked and began screaming for help while knocking on a window to attract the attention of people passing by. 

“One of our Public Safety Officers on duty near the library heard the commotion and notified the CCID’s 24-hour control room,” Bruwer said. 

The CCID’s statement noted that night manager Bennie Jacobs went to the library with two other CCID Safety & Security team members. One of the officers managed to contact the library staff, who returned to the building and opened the doors. 

The boy was safely reunited with his worried father shortly afterwards. 

“We accompanied the boy to the closed barbershop where the worried father was waiting outside for his son …” Bruwer said.