BOSA leader Mmusi Maimane believes that the BELA Act is a fight about suburban schools while those in townships and rural areas remain “plagued by broken infrastructure, overcrowded classrooms and poor quality of teaching”.
“The BELA Act is a fight about suburban schools. It is important to have inclusion in those schools, it is important to have transformation in those schools. Children who live in those areas should not be denied education on the basis of language,” he said on X.
“However we must not lose sight of the fact that this has been a fight that will not change the plight of those children who swim across rivers to get to school. This fight has not changed the plight of children at the swamp school in Tembisa built by Panyaza Lesufi for R100 million,” Maimane added.
His remarks came after President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday, 20 December 2024, announced his intention to sign a Presidential Proclamation that will bring the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act into operation.
The BELA Bill was passed by the 6th democratic Parliament on 26 October 2023. Ramaphosa assented to the Bill on 13 September 2024.
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The President explained that he has also instructed the Basic Education Minister, Siviwe Gwarube, to do what is “necessary” as is customary with any law to ensure that the timeframe of implementation – particularly with regard to the preparedness of the system for universal Grade R access – and the consequential regulations setting out the norms and standards are prepared.
“All bodies and all officials responsible for the implementation of this Act are required at all times to act in accordance with the Constitution, the law and the relevant policies and regulations,” said President Ramaphosa.
Meanwhile, the BOSA leader stressed that South Africa’s education crisis is bigger than the issue of inclusion in former model C schools.
“It is worrying that the GNU parties have spent so much energy on this fight while the education budget is being cut, while we just saw the latest TIMSS results where our grade 5 kids placed last in the world in science and maths.
“This GNU does not care that classrooms are overcrowded and that we are facing a teacher shortage crisis which is going to get worse as the teachers retire,” Maimane cautioned.
