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By Edwin Naidu
Basic Minister Siviwe Gwarube must feel like she has egg on her face.
The minister boycotted the signing of Basic Education Laws Amendment Act (Bela) Act on 13 September 2024 because she was opposed to it in its current form with the main sticking points being the diminished authority of governing bodies concerning admission and language policy.
This was driven by Afrikaner civic body AfriForum, the Democratic Alliance and Freedom Front +.
After three months of deliberations around the contentious sections 4 and 5, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the full implementation of the Act. One cannot gauge whether anything substantial has changed, but Gwarube has no choice but to implement the regulations.
Ramaphosa’s decision amid severe politicking provides certainty and stops in the tracks efforts by right-wing organisations to use the laws meant for everyone for the benefit of a few. As part of Bela, white privilege should become a thing of the past – well at least on paper – until government delivers on the regulations aimed at levelling the education playing fields in the country.
What this debacle has clearly shown is that 30 years of democracy has not eliminated apartheid from the heart and minds of some in the Rainbow Nation. Schools remain a hotbed of racism, with deepening inequality and disparities in infrastructure having grown.
To her credit, in a briefing to Parliament, Gwarube said she would not allow politicking around the implementation of the Act. She is committed to making a difference for all children in South Africa. Ironically, the minister played politics when she boycotted the Presidential signing ceremony in September.
But having brokered a deal with Afriforum, which threatened legal action, as is their custom to protect Afrikaner rights, which mind you are guaranteed in the Constitution, she now says that she is committed to driving Bela. Whatever Gwarube and the DA have done to broker the deal, after all the tension, South Africa is the winner.
One wishes Gwarube strength as she understands the nuts and bolts of Bela and its efforts to transform education for all in South Africa.
The South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (Sadtu) says the Bill was passed with overwhelming support in both the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces, therefore, there was no justification for delaying the implementation of clauses 4 and 5 for further consultation as this undermined the wide-ranging legitimate processes conducted over many years in which all the parties in the Government of National Unity (GNU) participated.
Sadtu said that South Africa’s legislators would no longer be held to ransom by those who could not get rid of their apartheid hats.
Thirty years of democracy should be celebrated by ensuring that citizens are put first instead of always being at the mercy of those who want to subject the country to the whims of a minority.
Bela is about opening the doors for learning for all.
Most crucial to the debate is how Bela Act will be funded. The government must explain how it will fund the implementation of the regulations.
One estimate suggests that it will cost around R16 billion to implement the clauses. This against a backdrop of teacher cutbacks raises more questions than answers government can provide.
Before rejoicing, let’s understand how Bela will be rolled out – and whether Gwarube will be given the resources to make it happen.
Edwin Naidu is Editor of Inside Education.
INSIDE EDUCATION