Mystery surrounds the destruction of hundreds of brand new school textbooks on a pavement in the East London CBD, much to the anger and consternation of the public who scrabbled to save some of them from being ripped to shreds.
The roadside destruction of books on Friday prompted education publisher Oxford University Press to make an appeal for anyone with information about the matter to contact them.
When the Daily Dispatch arrived on the scene, scores of maths, geography, life sciences, maths literacy and Xhosa books had already been destroyed and their remnants packed into massive plastic bags on Stephenson Street in the city centre.
Three men, who were tearing the books up, page by page, said they had been tasked by their boss to rip up the books “for recycling”.
One of the men, who said his name was Frank, refused to disclose the name or contact number of his boss. Another said he had been standing on the side of the road looking for a job, when a man tasked him with tearing up books.
Indignant passers-by rummaged through the piles of untouched textbooks, selecting titles to read or give to their children.
Brands Furnishers owner Percy Shaw said he had been horrified to see the destruction of educational books, some of which were still wrapped in plastic.
“Please tell them to stop tearing these books,” he told the Dispatch. “I would rather pay for them and give them away. It is such a waste. If they are obsolete, could they not be donated?”
Clutching a maths book which he had plucked from the pile, matric pupil Siphelo Luningo said it would come in handy for his studies.
Grayson Jagers, who works in the area, said this was not the first time he had seen new books being ripped up in the area.
“I’m angry because this is a waste of our tax money.”
Some of the books bore Oxford University Press branding and the publisher’s regional managing director Lieze Kotze said it had not recently instructed any of its titles in the Eastern Cape to be pulped.
“We are concerned about reports of textbooks being destroyed, particularly titles which are in print.”
She said the publisher only pulped titles in the case of stock being damaged or “very old books that are no longer curriculum compliant” and that in such cases the process was strictly controlled.
She said Oxford University Press donated unsold books to schools, libraries and NGOs.
“We appeal to anyone with more information to contact us so that we can investigate this matter further.”
Across the road from the ripping spree, in an empty lot where truck drivers were receiving driving lessons, mounds of glossy Grade 1 readers in Xhosa and English lay in damp piles amid bags of ripped-up books.
A box filled with cartons of unused white and coloured chalk mouldered on the pile, as did unused art paintbrushes, a Grade 10 geography teaching toolkit CD and scattered building blocks.
Eastern Cape education department spokesman Loyiso Pulumani said this was an “unnaceptable waste of materials”.
“None of our suppliers are aware of this.”
He said an urgent investigation would be mounted to trace the origins of the books and to check whether any “malice” was involved. — barbarah@dispatch.co.za
New textbooks ripped, trashed
The roadside destruction of books on Friday prompted education publisher Oxford University Press to make an appeal for anyone with information about the matter to contact them.
When the Daily Dispatch arrived on the scene, scores of maths, geography, life sciences, maths literacy and Xhosa books had already been destroyed and their remnants packed into massive plastic bags on Stephenson Street in the city centre.
Three men, who were tearing the books up, page by page, said they had been tasked by their boss to rip up the books “for recycling”.
One of the men, who said his name was Frank, refused to disclose the name or contact number of his boss. Another said he had been standing on the side of the road looking for a job, when a man tasked him with tearing up books.
Indignant passers-by rummaged through the piles of untouched textbooks, selecting titles to read or give to their children.
Brands Furnishers owner Percy Shaw said he had been horrified to see the destruction of educational books, some of which were still wrapped in plastic.
“Please tell them to stop tearing these books,” he told the Dispatch. “I would rather pay for them and give them away. It is such a waste. If they are obsolete, could they not be donated?”
Clutching a maths book which he had plucked from the pile, matric pupil Siphelo Luningo said it would come in handy for his studies.
Grayson Jagers, who works in the area, said this was not the first time he had seen new books being ripped up in the area.
“I’m angry because this is a waste of our tax money.”
Some of the books bore Oxford University Press branding and the publisher’s regional managing director Lieze Kotze said it had not recently instructed any of its titles in the Eastern Cape to be pulped.
“We are concerned about reports of textbooks being destroyed, particularly titles which are in print.”
She said the publisher only pulped titles in the case of stock being damaged or “very old books that are no longer curriculum compliant” and that in such cases the process was strictly controlled.
She said Oxford University Press donated unsold books to schools, libraries and NGOs.
“We appeal to anyone with more information to contact us so that we can investigate this matter further.”
Across the road from the ripping spree, in an empty lot where truck drivers were receiving driving lessons, mounds of glossy Grade 1 readers in Xhosa and English lay in damp piles amid bags of ripped-up books.
A box filled with cartons of unused white and coloured chalk mouldered on the pile, as did unused art paintbrushes, a Grade 10 geography teaching toolkit CD and scattered building blocks.
Eastern Cape education department spokesman Loyiso Pulumani said this was an “unnaceptable waste of materials”.
“None of our suppliers are aware of this.”
He said an urgent investigation would be mounted to trace the origins of the books and to check whether any “malice” was involved. — barbarah@dispatch.co.za
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