Johnathan Paoli
Democratic Alliance (DA) federal council chairperson Helen Zille has maintained the party’s opposition to the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) act.
“The Bela bill is non-negotiable for us, the right to school governing bodies to determine the language policy at schools is a redline and the ANC has been aware of that from day one,” she said.
In an interview on Monday, a day after President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed a DA candidate – Siviwe Grarube as Basic Education Minister to his Cabinet – Zille said the party would maintain its stance on BELA Bill.
Zille also said the DA was not aware of the extension of the Cabinet and only heard about it for the first time when Ramaphosa broadcasted it on SABC on Sunday night.
“We didn’t know that the President was going to increase the Cabinet so substantially and give the ANC so much more than proportionally was their due,” she complained.
The DA previously said the solution for financial mismanagement and misconduct, which robs residents of services and denies children access to quality education, cannot be found in the Bela bill.
The DA called for an alternative which involved providing educational opportunities, improving school capacity and introducing performance management systems.
After years of debate, amendments and tweaking by both houses of Parliament, the final version of the BELA Bill was passed in May this year, with 78 Members of Parliament voting against and 223 voting in support of the bill.
The South African Democratic Trade Union (SADTU) Secretary general Mugwena Maluleke criticised the appointment of former DA chief whip Gwarube as the Minister of Basic Education.
Maluleke said the DA has been clear in rejecting transformational policies including the BELA bill and dealing with issues of language discrimination.
“The appointment of a DA minister of Basic Education who does not believe in transformation, equity and the ingrained deficit in student achievement, would define the relationship [negatively] moving forward,” Maluleke said.
Earlier on Monday, federal leader John Steenhuisen welcomed the announcement of the new Cabinet and said that for the first time ever, the party, alongside the ANC, would be represented across every one of the clusters in government.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Sunday evening, that DA members are to be appointed to several key portfolios in government, including: Agriculture, Basic Education, Public Works and Infrastructure, Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, Home Affairs and Communications and Digital Technologies.
In addition, the party was awarded deputy minister posts in the portfolios of Finance; Trade, Industry and Competition; Higher Education; Energy and Electricity; Water and Sanitation; and Small Business Development.
“The sheer weight and spread of these twelve portfolios amount to a recognition that the DA has a meaningful and vital role to play in the reconstruction of our country,” Steenhuisen said.
Steenhuisen said the DA pursued a strategic objective built on two inter-linked aims.
He said the party had a dual objective to ensure securing meaningful influence in government, while delivering on their election pledge to rescue South Africa from parties which sought to tear up the country’s constitution.
“When the DA said we would rescue South Africa from the Doomsday scenario, we meant it,” Steenhuisen said.
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