A KZN shool book supplier caught shredding and burning workbooks has apologised for it actions but denied any wrongdoing.
|||Durban - A SCHOOL book supplier caught shredding and burning workbooks at its Empangeni warehouse has apologised for it actions but denied any wrongdoing.
UTi Distribution, a company contracted to the national Department of Basic Education, confirmed in a statement on Thursday its employees had shredded 100 workbooks from the 2012 school year, which “local management had assessed to be irreparably damaged”.
It said no schools had been adversely affected by the incident.
“Once UTi had identified the schools for which the damaged books were intended, the workbooks were replaced. This replacement was done within two weeks, and no schools were compromised by non-delivery.”
Apologies had been made to the Department of Basic Education, the statement said.
The company refuted claims of corruption or criminality but said an internal investigation was under way.
UTi said it had delivered 5 578 550 workbooks in KwaZulu-Natal last year and 5 122 660 this year.
Education MEC, Senzo Mchunu, and uThungulu district manager, David Chonco, visited the warehouse on Wednesday after being alerted by anonymous tip-offs.
Chonco had said some workbooks were being burnt, others shredded and a few placed in buckets of water.
After the visit, Mchunu had said he feared the company had “cut corners to get higher profits”.
He had said his department was now “at war” with UTi as it did not tolerate any form of corruption.
On Thursday, the DA’s education spokesman, Tom Stokes, was in Empangeni. He included a visit to the Zululand Remedial Centre – one of many schools in the uThungulu district supplied by UTi.
It emerged, through correspondence between the centre and the Department of Basic Education’s regional office, dating back to January 24, that workbooks had not been delivered, despite being ordered in November.
The centre had 250 pupils.
Stokes said after months of sending e-mails to the department, the school was forced to make copies of notes for pupils at its own expense.
A member of the school’s governing body, Delia Jordaan, said the grades 4 to 6 workbooks hadn’t been received as of July 18. She had alerted a local newspaper.
“The school had contacted the inspector a number of times but the books were never delivered. They are part of the new curriculum and are government-issued books, so they had to come from the department,” Jordaan said.
Chonco confirmed that he had received a call, as well as copies of the e-mail correspondence between his department and the school, from a reporter.
He said an internal investigation was being held.
lauren.anthony@inl.co.za
Daily News