Contentious BELA Bill may be on agenda at Cabinet lekgotla
The BELA Bill has already passed both Houses of Parliament and is now waiting for the signature of President Cyril Ramaphosa to be officially made law.
ACDP supporters picket outside the Department of Basic Education offices in Johannesburg on 9 May 2024. Picture: Thabiso Goba/Eyewitness News
JOHANNESBURG - One of the contentious issues that might make it on the agenda of this weekend's Cabinet lekgotla is the BELA Bill, which was passed through the African National Congress’s (ANC) majority in the sixth Parliament in the face of fierce contestation from parties like the Democratic Alliance (DA) and African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP).
The BELA Bill has already passed both Houses of Parliament and is now waiting for the signature of President Cyril Ramaphosa to be officially made law.
However, a motion can still be introduced to have the National Assembly reconsider it.
The bill proposes sweeping changes to the country’s education system, including more government regulation on school language policies, homeschooling and centralising the purchases of textbooks and stationery.
The DA, one of the main ANC partners in the Government of National Unity (GNU), has previously said that adopting the BELA Bill in its current form would be a red line.
Currently in the GNU, three parties - the ANC, IFP & PAC - voted for the BELA bill and three others – the DA, FF+ & Al Jama-ah - against it, while the rest either abstained or did not have representation in the sixth administration.