The Democratic Alliance says they are objecting for President Ramaphosa to sign the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill into law on Friday. The party said if the President signs the bill into law, he will be violating both the letter and spirit of the joint Statement of Intent that forms the basis of the Government of National Unity.

BELA BILL UNACCEPTABLE TO DA

The DA has in the past argued that the BELA Bill undermines the authority of school governing bodies and centralises decision-making power to the Department of Basic Education. Partly leader John Steenhuisen, who is also the Minister of Agriculture, said during the negotiations, the DA made it clear that the Bill was unacceptable to them in its current form as it has constitutional implications for the right to mother-tongue education, amongst other issues. Steenhuizen said they have urged President Ramaphosa to send the bill back to Parliament for a few amendments to bring it in line with the Constitution. "Despite this, and in violation of the provisions of the Statement of Intent, the President seems intent on pushing ahead unilaterally," he said, adding that he will make sure he meets with the President before Friday to re-iterate his party's objections to the Bill.

ENDANGERING GNU

Steenhuisen further said if Ramaphosa continues to ignore the objections, he is endangering the future of the GNU and destroying the good faith on which it was based. "The establishment of a dispute resolution mechanism must now be a priority to ensure that all parties uphold both the letter and spirit of the Statement of Intent and that the ANC understands that they can no longer take unilateral action on issues that affect fundamental rights. The DA regards this issue in the most serious light, and I will convey to the President the destructive implications it holds for the future of the GNU," he added.

WHAT IS BELA BILL?

The Presidency announced today that Ramaphosa will sign the BELA Bill into law on Friday at the Union Buildings. The bill was approved by the National Assembly in May this year. The BELA BILL will, among others, make Grade R compulsory at the start of school. The bill will require school governing bodies (SGBs) to submit their language policies for approval by the Minister of Basic Education. The policies must consider the language needs of the broader community. Religion will also be accommodated in school codes of conduct. The bill also requires that the school codes of conduct respect cultural and religious beliefs, including provisions for students to seek exemptions from certain code requirements. The bill will also strengthen the department of education oversight over language and admission policies that school governing bodies are mandated to develop. It will also grant the state the power to direct a public school to adopt more than one language of instruction.