Afriforum

Deputy President Paul Mashatile has urged all parties that signed the Statement of Intent to employ official processes following trade union Solidarity’s announcement of a settlement reached with the government regarding the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act.

Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube and Solidarity announced that they settled their dispute on Wednesday at the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) after the union lodged a dispute concerning two sections of the Act.

In September, President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Bill into law, but delayed by three months the implementation of clauses 4 and 5, which deal with school admissions and language, to make room for more discussion and deliberations after it received opposition from Solidarity, Afriforum and other sectors of society. 

However, the Office of the Deputy President said it has learned of an agreement on the BELA Act from informal channels. 

“The Office of the Deputy President has since written a letter to all members of the GNU [Government of National Unity] clarifying that the process that is referred to in the statement supposedly released by Solidarity is based on a process outside the sanctioned process of the clearing house of the parties that signed the Statement of Intent,” the office said.

The GNU clearing house mechanism, led by the Deputy President, was established by President Ramaphosa to address policy disagreements within the 10-member GNU regarding policy agreements and other disputes. 

The GNU clearing house mechanism recently formed a task team to address concerns raised by various parties regarding the BELA Act.

“According to the statement, only one party from the GNU would have been involved in a parallel process to the one sanctioned by the GNU parties and signatories of the Statement of Intent. Based on the statement, the Minister of Education and an official from government would have been complicit in this meeting. 

“The GNU and its representative parties are still engaged in a process that will be finalised soon. We call on all parties that signed the statement of intent to uphold their bona fides and cooperate with the official process,” the Deputy President said. 

According to the Deputy President’s Office, the BELA Act, like other Acts, is a product of Parliament and the President. Therefore, no intervention can diminish the importance of these key role players.

“The Deputy President assures the representatives of all political parties in the GNU clearing house mechanism that processes will unfold to manage the situation collectively with members of the GNU towards finding an amicable solution.” – SAnews.gov.za