John Steenhuisen, the DA’s leader and Minister of Agriculture, has indicated that his party will “under no circumstances” support the adoption of the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill under the Government of National Unity.
Steenhuisen spoke to the media over the weekend, detailing the DA’s five important medium-term targets for the GNU, as the new government celebrated its first 100 days in office.
The DA is particularly opposed to clauses 4 and 5 of the BELA Bill, which address language and admittance policies in schools.
“There are four non-negotiables we will not support under any circumstances in the GNU. The implementation of clauses 4 and 5 of the BELA Bill needlessly opens the door to depriving children of their mother-tongue education in single-medium schools,” said Steenhuisen.
President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Bill into law last month, although it has been widely opposed. Ramaphosa has postponed its implementation for three months, pushing parties to reach an agreement on sections four and five.
Sunday marked one month since Ramaphosa charged political parties with resolving their reservations about the Bill, indicating that if no agreement was achieved, it will be adopted.
“We were very clear about BELA from the beginning of our negotiations going into the GNU, as outlined in the Statement of Intent. In this government, the ANC must understand that it cannot get everything it wants, and the same applies to the DA. However, it cannot be a situation where the DA’s views and opinions are not considered or accepted,” said Steenhuisen.
When asked whether the DA would withdraw from the power-sharing government if an agreement on the BELA Bill is not reached, Steenhuisen was non-committal but noted that at least three other parties also oppose the Bill.
“Any coalition, whether small or large, is predicated on finding consensus and a way forward. I believe there are ways to reach consensus on these particular issues, but there were non-negotiables for us going into these negotiations,” he said.
Steenhuisen emphasised that all GNU partners would need to compromise to implement the Bill and address other government matters.
“It can’t be the smaller parties that have to make all the compromises. There will be compromises on all sides. We are willing to make compromises in a number of key areas,” he said.
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube noted the need for a technical committee to address issues that are “red lines” in the ongoing GNU negotiations. The inaugural meeting is expected to take place this week.
“One of the hallmarks of this Government of National Unity will be its ability to resolve conflict,” said Gwarube.
Gwarube added that sections of the BELA Bill are already being implemented, as they include important reforms. “As a department, we have begun the commencement of other sections of the Act, such as criminalising corporal punishment, which is crucial for our education system,” she said.
Among the DA’s five key priorities are boosting the economy for mass job creation, digitising the Department of Home Affairs, and expanding affordable access to broadband.
