Legal action against Ramaphosa, Gwarube over BELA Act temporarily halted
Earlier in January, lobby groups, Solidarity Movement and AfriForum, sent letters of demand to President Cyril Ramaphosa and Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube over the contentious bill.
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
JOHANNESBURG - Legal action against President Cyril Ramaphosa and Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube over the promulgation of the BELA Act has been temporarily halted.
This after the minister on Wednesday supposedly responded to lobby groups, Solidarity Movement and AfriForum.
Earlier in January, the organisations sent letters of demand to the head of state and Gwarube over the contentious bill.
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The letters of demand sent to Ramaphosa and Gwarube imposed a 10-day deadline for the parties to respond.
That deadline expired on 29 January.
In response to the legal correspondence, Solidarity's organisational head, Werner Human, said that the minister had requested a postponement as she prepared the guidelines for the statute.
"Her request was that we hold off our issuing of papers and the further process for another, I think, 10 days or two weeks just to see what those guidelines would entail."
The guidelines will inform whether the organisations proceed with litigation, as Human explains.
"She believes that maybe with us participating in the process, it may change our position in relation to the litigation."
The organisations argue that the promulgation is irrational and unconstitutional, as the norms and standards which will guide the implementation of the act have not been established.