Sivalwe thanqa istolo sezincwadi i-Adams

Eminyaka engu-157 lesitolo sabakhona sivala iminyango yaso unomphela. Kuthiwa okungapheli kuyahlola, lokhu kufakazelwa ilesi sitolo esidala kunathi sonke esiphilayo njengoba abaphathi baso bathe bavala nci ngokuphela kwenyanga. Lesi sitolokazi sinesitolo ezimbili ezinkulu eThekwini nase Thawini (Pietermaritzburg) kanye namagatsha amabili amancane eNyuvesi yaKwaZulu Natali kanye naseGoli.

Ngemuva kokuhweba iminyaka, iziphathimandla zesitolo sezincwadi i-Adams bakhethe ukusidayisa ngenxa yesimo esiphoqayo. Ngokombiko abaphathi bathe:

“Ngokokuqala emlandlweni laqala lelibhisinisi, akhekho umuntu womndeni wakwa Adams ongathatha izintambo zebhisini ku Peter Adams osethatha umhlalaphansi ekubeni ixhenye yebhizinisi. Ngenxa yalokhu, umndeni wakwa- Adams ube usukhetha ukulidayisa.”

EThekwini- Isitolo sezincwadi i-Adams esaziwayo iyivale nci iminyango yamagatsha yezitolo zabo ewu-4 ngenyanga kaMayi.

Ngaphandle nje kwalokhu, ziningi izinqinamba inkampani ebhekene nazo kuleminyaka edlule. Iningi kanye nenani labathengi bezincwadi lehlile kakhulu eNingizimu Afrika ngenxa yezomnotho. Ngemuva kuka-2015, enye yezinqinamba ezibe nomthelela ukuvalwa kwemali yezincwadi eyayikhishwa u-NSFAS. Phambili uhulumeni ubunikeza abafundi i-book allowance yokuthenga izincwadi eyavalwa ngo-2019, sebenikwa imali mathupha. Lokhu kwehlise izinga lokuthengwa kwezincwandi zasemaNyuvesi, okuhalele ekuvalweni kwamanye awu-5 amangatsha njengekade isiNyuveni yase Howard College (UKZN) phambili. Kanti ne Covid 19 idlale indima enkulu ngemuva kokuvalwa kwamaNyuvesi kanye nezikole kuleminyaka emibili eyedlule.

Isitolo i- Adams and Co saqala njengendawo yokufundela lapho kwakungamahhovisi eNatal Mercury ngo-1865, iTheku liseyidolobha elincane nje. Lesi sitolo besingxenye enkulu efundeni kwethu kusukela emabangeni aphansi sifuna izincwadi ezhlukene njenge Izichazamazwi, Inqolobane, i-Atlas kanye nezinye, kwaze kwaba sisemaNyuvesi silokhu sikhona. Kuyizindaba ezimbi ukuthi lesi sitolo ngeke sisaba ingxenye yeTheku nabantu bakhona.

Article Overview

It is said all good things come to an end. After 157 years of trading, Adams Booksellers are shutting down four of their branches at the end of May. These include the main branches in Durban and Pietermaritzburg and two smaller branches, one at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (Westville Campus) and the other in Johannesburg. Adams and Co is said to have been established in 1865 from the reading room of the then Natal Mercury offices in West Street, Durban.

The shareholders have decided to sell the business as there is no Adams family member to take over from Peter Adams, who is retiring. Another major issue has been the decline of the book market over the past few years. The well-known bookshop that we have come to love and has been an integral part of our education will soon be no more.

Umthombo