09 September 2026
The ANC Study Group is deeply concerned and outraged by the Minister of Basic Education’s sensationalist approach and unilateral decision to halt the implementation and procurement of the new Foundation Phase National Catalogue for Grades 1-3. The Minister’s tantrums are backed by nothing but political survival, because extensive investigations and legal opinions found no evidence of fraud, favouritism, manipulation or evaluation irregularities in the blind review process. Thus, why is a process that has undergone such extensive scrutiny being halted at the expense of learners, transformation and the future of basic education?
The facts are clear. The Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA), the independent investigation conducted by Rakoma, the Department of Basic Education’s Legal Services and external Senior Counsel all examined the Foundation Phase National Catalogue process. Allegations against Lighthouse Publishers and Black Owned Books were found to be unsubstantiated, and the investigators explicitly concluded that the catalogue process should not be cancelled.
While the investigations identified areas where governance, policy, documentation and future processes should be strengthened, these findings cannot be distorted into allegations of corruption where no evidence of corruption has been found. The Senior Counsel’s opinion similarly concluded that the process was legally defensible and should continue, while recommending a strengthened policy framework for future catalogues. Furthermore, HEDCOM considered the reports and supported the Foundation Phase National Catalogue and the issuing of procurement guidance to provinces.
The Minister’s decision has already resulted in an approximately four-month delay in the procurement process. This is not a minor administrative inconvenience. Every additional day of delay increases the risk that provinces will be unable to procure, receive and distribute learning and teaching support materials in time for the next academic calendar. The Minister is therefore taking a serious risk with whether learners will have the correct learning materials when schools reopen for the next academic year.
The demand to utilise the outdated catalogue is meant to protect and benefit the Democratic Alliance funders at the expense of improved learning outcomes. Precisely because the latter catalogue does not have subjects such as coding and robotics, and it will also have consequences beyond Grades 1-3 and risks delaying the development and implementation of the Intermediate Phase National Catalogue. In addition, it will not save R3 billion or enhance quality, as the newly approved catalogue would.
The ANC Study Group cannot ignore the political injustice. In our view, the four-month delay and the Minister’s continued interference raise serious concerns that the decision is intended to preserve the status quo and protect established commercial interests associated with the DA’s political and financial constituency. The DA has consistently demonstrated hostility towards meaningful economic transformation. We are concerned that this ideological posture is now being translated into decisions that frustrate new entrants, particularly black-owned and emerging businesses, while protecting established interests.
The interference in administrative decisions reflects a recurring pattern of frustrating and delaying transformational work such as policy and procurement through ministerial overreach. And the mingling of a political adviser as a pseudo-DG in administrative matters blurs constitutional lines, undermines administrative independence, and weakens the authority of duly mandated departmental officials. Good governance and transformation are not mutually exclusive. South Africa must demand both. However, good governance must never become a convenient political weapon used selectively to protect the status quo and undermine transformation.
The ANC Study Group therefore calls for the immediate reconsideration of the decision to halt the Foundation Phase National Catalogue. The Department must urgently address the recommendations arising from the investigations, strengthen governance and finalise the necessary policies and procedures, but it must not punish learners for weaknesses that investigations found did not amount to fraud, favouritism or manipulation.
Our children cannot wait. Procurement cannot be delayed indefinitely. Learning materials must reach schools before the next academic year.
Issued by the Whip of the ANC Study Group on Basic Education, Cde Tshepo Louw
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