President Cyril Ramaphosa says the agreement between the Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube and Solidarity union does not influence the ongoing multiparty discussions regarding implementing the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act or the President's decision-making authority.
The BELA Bill was passed in Parliament on 26 October 2023 and was signed into law by President Ramaphosa on 13 September 2024. During the public signing, the President announced a three-month delay in implementing sections 4 and 5 of the Act, which address school admission and language policies.
President Ramaphosa explained that his decision to delay certain clauses of the BELA Act was to give parties time to deliberate on the issues of admission and language policy contained in the two sections. It would also provide time to submit proposals on how the disputed elements in the sections will be resolved.
The agreement between the education minister and the Solidarity union would see Gwarube ask the President to extend the 13 December deadline by three more months to allow for more deliberations on the two clauses.
Ramaphosa warned that the agreement bears no influence on his power to decide the commencement of the Act.
President Ramaphosa reiterates his commitment to the undertaking he made when he signed the Bill on 13 September 2024 to give the parties three months to submit proposals on sections 4 and 5. The President therefore awaits the outcome of those deliberations
Deputy President Clarifies Task Team Role
In October, Deputy President Paul Mashatile was tasked with overseeing the Government of National Unity (GNU) clearing house mechanism task team on the BELA Act.
The GNU clearing house mechanism was established to address policy disagreements within the 10-member GNU regarding policy agreements and other disputes.
Mashatile said the agreement between the Basic Education Minister and Solidarity falls outside the sanctioned process of the clearing house of the parties that signed the Statement of Intent.
The Deputy President assures the representatives of all political parties in the GNU clearing house mechanism that processes will unfold to manage the situation collectively with members of the GNU towards finding an amicable solution.
Teachers Union Slams Education Minister
The South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) has strongly criticised the Minister’s agreement with the Solidarity Movement on the BELA Act. The union says the Minister violates the Act.
Sadtu argues that the delayed implementation of the language clauses continues to perpetuate Apartheid policies which saw learners of colour excluded from accessing schools based on language of instruction.
We will not allow racist organisations to insult our liberation struggles. Apartheid used language and education to oppress and discriminate against the black majority. History is repeating itself as the beneficiaries of colonial apartheid are again using language and education to discriminate against the black majority by blocking the Bela Act.
Solidarity argues that the clause around school language policy has the potential marginalisation of Afrikaans-speaking schools. Sadtu says children must be able to access any school without barriers created through language policies.
All schools must respect all laws and the Constitution of our country, including the right of our children to access education at any school without barriers created through language policies.
The Union described the agreement between the Minister and Solidarity as a declaration of war.
She has declared war on SADTU and the African majority whose children are being discriminated against by racist school governing bodies. She failed to respect and promote the Constitution of our country and she must therefore be ready for the real fight on the Bela-Act.
