It’s crunch time as the deadline for a resolution on the BELA ACT looms this Friday.
The three-month time frame given by President Cyril Ramaphosa in September comes to an end this week and it remains to be seen whether miracles will occur in which all parties involved in the BELA deliberations will find each other.
Parties in the Government of National Unity have been at loggerheads over 2 sections in the BELA ACT following the President’s decision on 13 September 2024 to delay implementing parts of the contested legislation.
A week ago, a group of organisations released a statement in which they welcomed an agreement with the Minister of Basic Education. In turn the Minister, in her own statement, confirming the agreement on clauses 4 and 5, which deal with admission and the language policies.
Speaking to media, Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube said she is committed to ensuring the BELA Act is implemented.
“There are some good aspects to this Act, and if we start to really enforce and focusing on the foundation phase, things like the matric results will take care of themselves,” Gwarube said.
There however have been protests regarding the implementation of the two clauses by organizations Afriforum, and the Democratic Alliance (DA), which is the political party Gwarube belongs to. She has defended the DA, saying it does not want to see poor black children suffer any longer.
“I can boldly say, at least for the political party I belong to, that there is no desire to block access for particularly poor black learners. I think that would be a complete mistake. The poor black learners have had the short end of the stick, even though access has been provided, quality hasn’t always been the case,” she added.
The organisations that have opposed the full implementation of the Act were given three months, from October, to submit and find lasting solutions to the concerns they have. The Department of Basic Education has in the meantime, begun training in all provinces on the implementation of the Act, with officials explaining how it will unfold and work in favour of all learners. Gwarube said “we will be led by the president on the outcomes of those negotiations, but on our side, we have already started on training provinces on the implementation of the Act, and we will continue to do so. My commitment is to the learners,” she concluded.