‘We voted for it, now sign it’: EFF urges Ramaphosa to sign the Bela Bill

The EFF has urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to sign the Basic Education Laws Amendment (Bela) Bill into law despite protests from his allies in the DA.

Ramaphosa is expected to sign the bill at the Union Buildings in  Pretoria on Friday morning. The bill aims to strengthen governance within the education sector.

While opposition parties and government of national unity (GNU) partner the DA  have protested against the signing of the bill, the EFF supports it.

The party said the bill will bring a significant shift in school admissions. The red berets asserted the transfer of power from school governing bodies to heads of departments will ensure equity and access for all pupils, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

“The bill introduces a suite of amendments to address systematic inequalities in basic education. Heads of departments will be given the final authority to determine admission and language policies at schools. School governing bodies (SGBs) are solely responsible for this, and this has enabled them to use the power to exclude African pupils and entrench racism at schools.

"This power has been used as a tool in the hands of white supremacists to isolate African languages and exclude African children from attending state schools that were formerly exclusively white,” the party said. 

The bill has also garnered support from the Gauteng department of education.

Gauteng education MEC Matome Chiloane said his department was in full support of the president signing the bill into law.

He said changing demographics in communities mean it is unacceptable for schools to deny pupils access to schools closer to their residences based on language.

Chiloane said if numbers dictate a school must be changed to a dual medium of instruction, that should happen.

"Public schools serve the public and no pupil should be excluded. The head of department will be empowered to ensure language policies are inclusive and responsive to the needs of the community,” Chiloane said.

Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the bill was in line with the Bill of Rights. 

“The Bela Bill amends sections of the South African Schools Act and the Employment of Educators Ac to account for developments in the education landscape since the enactment of the original legislation. The amendments are a response to court judgments that protect and give effect to the Bill of Rights.”

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