Multi-party team to tackle BELA Act's sticking points
When President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the bill into law in September, he put two contentious clauses on hold for three months to allow for further consultations.
On Friday, 13 September 2024, President Cyril Ramaphosa officially signed the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill into law at the Union Buildings in Pretoria. Picture: Thabiso Goba / Eyewitness News
CAPE TOWN - A multi-party team has been established to iron out the sticking points of the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act, as the clock ticks on their implementation.
When he signed the bill into law in September, President Cyril Ramaphosa put two contentious clauses on hold for three months to allow further consultations.
Almost half that time has passed, putting the clearing house mechanism of the Government of National Unity (GNU) under pressure to resolve the impasse.
The clearing house mechanism held its third meeting on Wednesday, to deal with the BELA Act.
ALSO READ: Everything you need to know about the BELA Act
Several GNU parties have from the onset - been opposed to clauses which relate to the admissions and language policies of schools.
The clearing house has now designated a team to deal with the concerns.
They are Deputy Justice Minister Andries Nel, African National Congress (ANC) chief whip Mdumiseni Ntuli, Freedom Front Plus parliamentary leader Corne Mulder, GOOD Party secretary general Brett Herron and Democratic Alliance (DA) federal chairperson, Helen Zille.
They will have two weeks to report back to the clearing house.
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has come under flak from opposition parties in Parliament for not implementing the rest of the act in the meantime.
The Presidency said the meeting has agreed party political interests should be set aside to find a solution that will benefit all South Africans.