By Thabi Shomolekae.
The Government of National Unity (GNU) Clearing House Mechanism has agreed to establish a small team to work on some of the concerns raised around the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act.
The team comprises Deputy Minister Andries Nel, Freedom Front Plus’s Dr Cornelius Mulder, GOOD Party’s Brett Herron, Democratic Alliance’s Helen Zille and African National Congress’s Mdumiseni Ntuli.
Last month, President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the BELA Bill into law, despite a significant degree of public rejection and concern over its constitutionality.
He placed on hold two clauses of the Bill for three months to find solutions to the concerns around them.
Should no solutions be found, it will be implemented fully, he said.
Some political parties and civil society organisations have been vocal about the Bill, saying in its current form, it would deprive children of mother-tongue education in single-medium schools.
The team will have two weeks before it has to report to the Clearing House Mechanism.
The Clearing House Mechanism, which met on Wednesday, noted the need to resolve the BELA Bill matter within the three months that the President allocated.
The meeting also agreed on the need to put party political interests aside and find a solution to benefit all South Africans.
Earlier this month, Deputy President Paul Mashatile lauded the positive start to the inaugural GNU Clearing House Mechanism.