Textbook Tender Scandal

The GOOD Party calls for an enquiry in the Department of Basic Education, in conjunction with the Treasury probe, to identify alleged wrongdoers against whom criminal charges must be laid.

South Africa has suffered the effect of pop-up companies, often led by people connected to politicians or senior State officials, which score tenders worth astronomical sums of money, too often and for too long.

In the matter of the textbook publishing tender, Lighthouse Publishers (Pty) Ltd was registered three days after the terms of reference for the tender were issued. Despite this, it received the highest share of the loot, more than a pair of publishers with over 100 years of experience in South Africa.

The projected revenue to the publisher in question is estimated at R286 million. It is the first tender since the new Foundation Phase textbooks were tendered for and procured in 2012.

Directors of the Lighthouse company allegedly both work remotely.  One of their mother’s addresses serves as the business address.

The publishing community is rightly posing serious questions. So, too, must police.

With over a quarter of our children’s public school educational materials on the line, this cannot be swept under the rug. We need to protect the integrity of our education system, and we need to safeguard taxpayers’ money.