South Africa’s leading coalition government party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), cautioned President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday that signing the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill into law this Friday, despite their objections, would put the future of the Government of National Unity (GNU) at risk.
In June, the country’s second-largest party and nine smaller parties reached an agreement to establish a GNU with Ramaphosa’s African National Congress (ANC).
In a statement, the DA strongly opposed the current form of the BELA Bill, citing constitutional implications for the right to mother-tongue education, among other concerns.
Earlier on Wednesday, the president’s office announced that Ramaphosa would publicly endorse the bill into law on Friday during a ceremony at the Union Buildings in the capital, Pretoria. The statement explained that the bill aims to enhance governance in South Africa’s education sector.
“The BELA Bill makes amendments to sections of the South African Schools Act of 1996 (SASA) and the Employment of Educators Act, 1998 (EEA) to address developments in the education landscape since the enactment of the original legislation,” it said.
However, the DA has called on the president to send the bill back to parliament for a few amendments to align it with the constitution.
Ramaphosa’s ANC, which had been in power in the mineral-rich African nation for three decades, lost its majority in national and provincial elections on May 29, leading to the formation of a GNU.
“If the president continues to disregard these objections, he is jeopardising the future of the Government of National Unity and undermining the trust on which it was formed,” as per the DA statement.
The party emphasised that establishing a mechanism for resolving disputes should now be a top priority to ensure that all parties adhere to the letter and spirit of the Statement of Intent signed when the GNU was established.
The party cautioned that the ANC should recognise that it can no longer unilaterally act on matters affecting fundamental rights.