WATCH | ‘Betrayal is not an option’: Lesufi on Bela Act as GNU negotiations face deadline

Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi is not backing down from urging the ANC leadership to push ahead and implement the Basic Education Laws Amendment (Bela) Act without changes, despite unhappiness from GNU partners.

Lesufi spoke at the SACP fifth special national congress on Thursday in Boksburg and lobbied the ANC alliance partners to throw their weight behind the implementation of the act, saying that should it not be implemented the National Health Insurance would suffer the same fate.  

“We are urging our president to do one thing and one thing only: to allow the implementation of the Bela Act without any further delay,” Lesufi said.

“We urge this conference to add its voice, to be on the side of our children and bring an end to discrimination against our children.

“Never again will our children decide whether they enter school premises or not based on the colour of their skin or the language they speak.”

President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the act into law in September but delayed the implementation of two clauses — 4 and 5 — by three months to allow further parliamentary discussions. The three-month period for parties to finalise proposals on the matter ends on Friday. 

One of the contested clauses proposes changes to the authority of school governing bodies in determining admission policy in state schools. The other clause wants state schools when determining language policy to take into account the language needs of the broader community.

Lesufi implored the alliance partners to strengthen their ties with the ANC to form a front and fight for the act's implementation.

“The agenda of the Bela Act, if it fails, there is no way the agenda of NHI will succeed. The enemy would have tasted blood that they can push us back. This is the period when we need to stand together for the sake of our children and our country. Betrayal is not an option,” he said. 

“This is a period when cowards must step aside and leave the brave to go forward. Periods like this want us to strengthen our forces. Periods like this want us to have a strong and agile alliance. We are not children of cowards. We are children of stalwarts. If you touch us, singayisusa [we can defend ourselves],.”

Parties that have rejected the amendment argue the act would endanger the survival of the Afrikaans language.    

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, SACP chairperson Blade Nzimande said parties and organisations fighting against the act were using the Afrikaans language as bait.  

“They had put all their eggs into [one basket of] securing the Afrikaner schools, using the Afrikaans language to discriminate against those who do not speak the language. That is why the National Party left the government. I am not surprised when the Bela Bill was proposed, they saw an opportunity to renege this,” Nzimande said.

“I am not sure why this is still even an issue, but for them it is because they want privileged white schools. They want to preserve white schools using language.”

After Friday, Ramaphosa will determine the date of commencement of the act and how it will be implemented. 

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