Reviews found no grounds to cancel textbook catalogue in South Africa — Daily Maverick
In South Africa, independent reviews of the new textbook catalogue for learners in Grade R and Grades 1–3 found no evidence of corruption, manipulation or procedural unfairness that could justify its cancellation. At the same time, the catalogue remains suspended.
As Daily Maverick reports, the publication obtained two forensic reports by independent investigators Rakoma & Associates, a review by South Africa’s Auditor-General and an external legal opinion. The documents recorded shortcomings in process management, record-keeping and the premature disclosure of the pricing methodology, but none recommended cancelling the selection results.
Findings of the reviews
A separate Rakoma & Associates investigation into Lighthouse Publishers did not establish that the publisher received improper advantages or breached the selection conditions. According to the review, its books went through the same anonymous assessment and quality-control stages as other submissions. The concern related only to the future capacity of the new publisher to print and supply products on a large scale. Investigators regarded this as an operational risk rather than a violation and advised retaining Lighthouse in the catalogue.
The broader Rakoma & Associates report recommended that South Africa’s Department of Basic Education formalise procurement procedures, participants’ roles and the price-review system, and obtain National Treasury approval before provincial procurement begins. At the same time, the report advised against cancelling the catalogue and recommended retaining the 6,385 approved titles in a regulated system agreed with the treasury to supply schools in 2027.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Rakoma & Associates assessed the procedure as one that “was, in substance, fair, equitable, transparent, competitive and cost-effective.” According to Daily Maverick, the Auditor-General and the authors of the external legal opinion reached similar conclusions. The Auditor-General noted that the procedure had been applied consistently to all submissions, ensuring fairness.
Political context
The publication writes that at least five reviews of the catalogue were conducted at the request of Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube. Among them, Daily Maverick mentions a treasury review that reportedly produced no definitive conclusion and an internal departmental audit that allegedly identified unspecified problems.
Daily Maverick links the delay to a political conflict between Gwarube and the department’s Director-General, Mathanzima Mweli. According to the publication, the minister accused the official of undermining her leadership and leaking information to the African National Congress, while Mweli considered the minister’s interference in administrative processes unacceptable. The authors also note that because the new catalogue has been suspended, the youngest learners may continue studying with materials from a catalogue that has not been updated for 14 years.
