20120724
AP
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa's president says he won't fire the education minister over a scandal that saw thousands of the country's schools remaining without textbooks for up to seven months.

Jacob Zuma told local station Talk Radio 702 on Monday that he first seeks a thorough investigation to determine whether minister Angie Motshekga is to be held responsible for the mishap.

The government this year failed to deliver books in the northeastern Limpopo province affecting — according to the country's main opposition party — some 5,000 schools.

With students in Limpopo still waiting for new books, reports emerged that a government official and service providers dumped and destroyed old textbooks there, provoking a public outcry against the government's mismanagement.