By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi has called on the South African Communist Party (SACP) to support the call to compel President Cyril Ramaphosa to implement the Basic Education Laws Amendment (Bela) Act.
Lesufi spoke at the SACP fifth special national congress on Thursday in Boksburg, East of Johannesburg.
The Bela Act was passed by Parliament in October 2023 and assented to by Ramaphosa at Union Buildings on September 13, 2024.
However, the implementation of sections 4 and 5 were delayed by Ramaphosa, for three months, to allow for multi-party discussions and proposals on resolving disputes raised on the specific sections.
A key provision of the Act, Sections 4 and 5 on Bela Act clarifies the roles of school governing bodies (SGBs) and provincial heads of departments regarding admissions and language policies.
These provisions aim to correct historical inequalities where language and admissions policies were often used to exclude black learners.
The deadline to resolve the salient matters is Friday.
Lesufi stressed the importance of Friday in bringing a close on the matter after months of tension and speculation surrounding clauses 4 and 5 of the Act.
He intimated that failure to maintain a strong stance regarding Bela would have consequences for other progressive legislation, including the National Health Insurance, which similarly has been at the centre of contentious positions.
“Betrayal is not an option and cowards must step aside,” Lesufi said.
This comes within the context of the SACP’s general position concerning Bela, with spokesperson Alex Mashilo emphasising the need to combat practices which effectively deprive African learners of access to schools through exclusionary admission and language policies, which act as barriers rather than enabling access.
“These clauses are critical to end the practices of school governing bodies that uphold the apartheid legacy of discrimination and exclusion,” Mashilo said.
Both Lesufi and Mashilo called into question the disingenuousness of the recent National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC) agreements surrounding the legislation.
Pressure is mounting from a faction in the ANC on Ramaphosa to remove Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube of the DA from the position over tensions around the Bela Act.
But DA leader John Steenhuisen warned on Sunday that firing Gwarube would jeopardise the government of national unity.