The ANC’s powerful national working committee (NWC) has taken a hard-line stance that the party should mandate President Cyril Ramaphosa to enact the disputed Bela Act clauses should talks with AfriForum and other opposing groups fail to yield results by the deadline at the end of the month.
The DA has vehemently been against the signing of clauses 4 and 5 of the legislation, claiming that they pose a threat to Afrikaans as one of the mediums of instruction at schools.
The protest resulted in the Ramaphosa halting the signing of the clauses for three months, until the end of November, to allow consultations within the GNU and Afrikaans interest groups to find possible common ground.
In this week’s GNU clearing house meeting, parties were still unable to reach consensus on the matter, giving room for consultations to continue.
According to our insiders in the NWC, the Voortrekker Monument march by AfriForum, Solidarity and the DA was the last straw that broke the camel’s back. The NWC members unanimously agreed that parties opposing the Bela Act must no longer be treated with kids’ gloves.
They lamented the racial undertones displayed during the march and concluded that it was a sign that the participants in that protest action, which featured racist artist Steve Hofmeyr, opposed the Bela Act for sinister motives.
“The NWC members said the discussions must carry on but they are saying within three months if there is no conclusion, clauses 4 and five must be put under regulation. It must be regulated until they reach a consensus,” according to an ANC insider.
ANC bigwigs David Makhura and Febe Potgieter have been speaking to Afrikaans interest groups behind the scenes.
AfriForum and Solidarity said they are hopeful that their fight for the preservation of Afrikaans culture, which they see as being threatened by Bela, will triumph despite the ANC’s empty threats.
“These people disrespected us, and the spirit of the NWC was that we are not going to be kicking the can down the road anymore; the president must steam ahead and sign at the end of the month if there is no resolution,” said a high-ranking NWC member.
AfriForum and Solidarity have laughed off the ANC’s threats, saying the party was a small fish in the bigger scheme of things.
According to AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel and his Solidarity counterpart Dr Dirk Hermann, they believe in pursuing their struggle through serious platforms such as the GNU and Nedlac, so they remain undeterred by the ANC’s opinions.
Anything the ANC says about them, said Kriel, was an attempt by the former liberation movement to appear brave when it is toothless. “The recent march was a huge success, with the democratic voice of thousands heard… political parties should listen to the people.”
Kriel and Hermann said the signing of clauses 4 and 5 into law will grant provincial departments of education broad authority to abuse school governing bodies (SGBs).
Clause 4 of the Bela Act provides for a provincial head of education to override a school’s language policy, an authority that currently rests with SGBs. Clause 5 provides for the provincial education department heads to control admission policies.
“Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi and his MEC Matome Chiloane have already indicated how they might abuse this power to eliminate Afrikaans schools,” said Hermann.
“The Bela Act also fails to make adequate provision for mother tongue education. The issue is therefore much broader than just Afrikaans. We view Bela as an act of aggression against Afrikaans cultural communities.”
The DA has previously stated that if the act does not undergo the required changes, it will take the government to court.
