Leaders of the Democratic Alliance (DA) and Freedom Front Plus which are part of the Government of National Unity (GNU) joined in lobby group AfriForum in a march against the Basic Education Laws Amendment (Bela) Act.
The DA, FF Plus, AfriForum and Solidarity marched from the Voortrekker Monument to hand over their memorandum at Freedom Park in Tshwane.
DA JOINS AFRIFORUM IN MARCH AGAINST BELA ACT
Despite opposition from the DA and FF Plus among others, President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the BELA Bill into law on 13 September at the Union Buildings in Tshwane.
During the signing ceremony, Ramaphosa said he has engaged with them and will consult on clauses 4 and 5 of the Bill which are a concern.
“In the spirit of cooperation and meaningful engagement, I have decided to delay the implementation date for clauses 4 and 5 of the Bill by three months.
“This will give the parties time to deliberate on these issues and make proposals on how the different views may be accommodated. Should the parties not be able to agree on an approach, then we will proceed with the implementation of these parts of the Bill,” Ramaphosa said.
During the march on Tuesday, Steenhuisen emphasised that the DA has long opposed Clauses 4 and 5 of the Bela Act.
Steenhuisen said these clauses give the state too much control over who gets an education at any particular school, and in what language.
“The constitution is clear, everyone has the right to receive education in the official language or languages of their choice. These hard-fought rights enshrined in our constitution cannot simply be given away at the stroke of a pen.
“Schools, through their governing bodies, are able to make decisions which reflect the needs of parents and the local communities. We cannot allow this authority to be handed over to an official in a provincial office, far from the needs and wants of community members. Protection of mother-tongue education is critical,” he said.
‘PEOPLE ARE ANGRY’
AfriForum chief executive officer (CEO) Kallie Kriel, labelled the protest march as a “historic day” and the largest march of Afrikaans speakers since 1994.
Kriel said people are angry, and they came to show it.
“A law that targets Afrikaans schools and threatens our cultural survival has angered them,” he said.
In October AfriForum asked the DA and FF Plus to reconsider their position in the GNU should the BELA Act not be amended.
Kriel said there is a group of anti-Afrikaans activists in the African National Congress (ANC), Gauteng government, and even politically driven senior officials in the National Department of Education who are acting contemptuously towards President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to create an opportunity for further deliberation on the BELA Act’s language clauses.
Kriel said the anti-Afrikaans group is openly out to derail constructive discussions and steamroll the implementation of the BELA Act in its current format and try to make any cooperation with the GNU impossible.
Further, Kriel indicated that should the BELA Act be fully implemented under the GNU, all those serving in the GNU would be complicit in the BELA Act’s assault on the survival of Afrikaans communities.
DO YOU THINK THE DA AND FF PLUS COULD QUIT THE GNU OVER THE BELA ACT?
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