By Thapelo Molefe
The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to sanction Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube over her decision to keep the new Foundation Phase textbook catalogue suspended for the 2027 school year.
The union’s call follows a growing dispute between Gwarube and the department’s Director-General, Mathanzima Mweli, over the National Catalogue for Foundation Phase Learning and Teaching Support Materials for Grades 1 to 3.
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Gwarube announced last week that the suspension would remain in place while the department sought legal advice on the findings of an independent investigation. Mweli, however, subsequently said that the new catalogue had been given a “green light”.
The Department of Basic Education said the investigation had identified material areas of non-compliance, governance weaknesses and potential risks relating to procurement and financial management. The existing catalogue will remain available to provinces and schools for procurement for the 2027 school year while the new catalogue undergoes legal scrutiny.
SADTU said Gwarube’s decision was unjustified, adding that investigations into the procurement process had found no evidence of wrongdoing.
“The current dispute concerning the National Catalogue for Foundation Phase Learning and Teaching Support Materials (Grades 1-3) raises issues that go far beyond procurement,” SADTU said.
The union accused Gwarube of deliberately delaying implementation of the new catalogue to allow established publishers to continue benefiting from the existing system.
SADTU specifically named Via Afrika, Maskew Miller and Naspers, which owns News24, alleging that Gwarube’s actions were designed to protect the commercial interests of legacy publishers at the expense of transformation and fair competition.
“Her strategy from the beginning has been to delay the implementation of the new catalogue so that these incumbents can continue to benefit perpetually from the outdated catalogue,” SADTU said.
The union also accused Gwarube — a senior member of the Democratic Alliance — of political interference and alleged an improper relationship between the minister’s office, the DA and News24.
“This interference is facilitated through a deeply troubling and convoluted relationship between the Ministry, the Democratic Alliance (DA), and News24, owned by Naspers,” SADTU said.
“The Minister is using News24 as a channel to communicate with the sector, bypassing established departmental protocols,” the union said.
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It further claimed that access given to News24 journalist Prega Govender to the ministry “suggests a coordinated campaign to discredit the legitimate administrative process”.
SADTU also pointed to News24’s earlier reporting on the textbook catalogue.
“It is worth recalling that News24 was the very platform that broke the story about a company with no history of publishing being given the bulk of the tender,” the union said.
The union also alleged that Gwarube’s former chief of staff now works for Naspers and said this created a conflict of interest.
“A key indicator of this cronyism is the revolving door between the Minister’s office and Naspers,” SADTU said.
“This proximity creates an undeniable conflict of interest,” the union said.
“The Minister is using the media to shut down departmental officials and undermine their legally mandated functions, effectively using News24 as a tool to advance a narrow political and commercial agenda,” SADTU said.
SADTU also targeted Michael Walters.
“Furthermore, the Minister is attempting to govern through a pseudo-DG, Mr. Michael Walters of the DA, who acts as her political proxy and special adviser in administrative matters,” SADTU said.
“This is an unacceptable violation of the separation of powers between the executive authority and the administration.”
The union’s statement comes after DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis called on Ramaphosa to intervene and either act himself or give Gwarube the authority to hold Mweli accountable, including suspending him if warranted.
SADTU rejected Hill-Lewis’s intervention, saying it was part of an attempt to portray the Director-General as incompetent or corrupt because he was not appointed by the DA minister.
“The call by DA’s Geordin Hill-Lewis to President Cyril Ramaphosa to suspend the Director General of Basic Education for giving the green light for the new Foundation Phase Textbook catalogue comes as no surprise,” SADTU said.
“It is part of an agenda to portray the Director General as incompetent or corrupt simply because he was not appointed by the minister from DA.”
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Hill-Lewis, however, defended Gwarube and said the minister was confronting governance and procurement concerns while trying to ensure learners had textbooks for 2027.
“Minister Gwarube is doing exactly what South Africans should expect from a responsible Minister, confronting serious governance and procurement concerns, protecting public money, and making sure that millions of children still have the textbooks they need when schools open in 2027,” Hill-Lewis said.
He said that a minister could not be held accountable by Parliament and the public for a department while lacking the authority to manage it.
“What cannot be tolerated is a situation in which a Director-General simply carries on regardless after serious problems have been uncovered and the responsible Minister has acted to address them,” Hill-Lewis said.
Gwarube has instructed the department to continue with legal verification and rectification of the new catalogue, with the State Attorney obtaining advice from Senior Counsel on the legal implications of the investigation’s findings.
The minister has said the decision is intended to protect the 2027 academic year while ensuring schools have access to approved learning materials.
“My first responsibility is to protect our learners and ensure that schools are ready for the 2027 academic year. I will not allow uncertainty around a procurement process to become uncertainty in our classrooms,” Gwarube said.
SADTU said the dispute had become part of wider ideological battles over transformation, economic inclusion, language policy, the implementation of the BELA Act and the role of public institutions in advancing substantive equality.
“SADTU will not stand by while political interests and the interests of multinational corporations are prioritised at the expense of smaller companies with quality materials, educators and, importantly, learners,” the union said.
