Basic Education Minister says Ramaphosa can’t make changes to two contentious clauses in BELA Act

JOHANNESBURG – Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube said that President Cyril Ramaphosa can’t change the two contentious clauses of the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act.

Ramaphosa promulgated the Act on Friday.

Gwarube told reporters in a media briefing at Parliament on Saturday that she’s fully committed to ensuring the implementation process is guided by the Constitution.

READ: Ramaphosa officially signs BELA Bill into law

Gwarube slammed the political spectacle surrounding implementing the BELA Act.

Gwarube said that her job is to prioritise school pupils whose future depends on the successful execution of the legislation.

And no further political statements will be entertained.

“The President has commenced with the Bela Act, and has indicated that it will be implemented in full. I have come to confirm to the people of South Africa that the process has been handed over to me as the Minister of Basic Education, and I will now start to take steps.”

Gwarube said that the Act will now go through a public hearing process to avoid any policy inconsistencies.

Meanwhile, the African National Congress (ANC) is accusing those opposed to the BELA Act of being anti-transformative and wanting to uphold apartheid practices.

Last month Afriforum and other groups protested at the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria calling for a halt in the signing of the Act.

Without naming anyone, the ANC’s Secretary General, Fikile Mbalula, called out those who had previously tried to oppose the signing of the BELA Act.

Speaking at the party’s Luthuli House, Mbalula said that the act is a victory for upholding constitutional values.

President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Bela Act in September this year leaving out sections four and five for further consultation.

The two sections address issues of language policies and admissions.

Mbalula said that the Act will no longer mean there is superiority over languages.

“Failure to address this will be a betrayal of the generation of 1976 who rejected Afrikaans as a medium of instruction thus relegating the majority to secondary citizenship and lack of identity in their country of birth.”

The Democratic Alliance, meanwhile, said that it looks forward to the implementation of the Act within the framework of the Constitution.

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