Threats or no threats, President Cyril Ramaphosa is going ahead with plans to sign the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill (Bela) into law.
The DA has not only objected to sections of the Bill but has threatened to walk out of the government of national unity (GNU) if Ramaphosa signs it.
The ANC has argued that the Bill would improve governance in schools and the education sector.
DA leader John Steenhuisen said the DA objected to the Bill because it took away the power of school governing bodies to decide on the language policy in public schools.
The DA, a significant partner to the GNU with 22% of the national share of the vote, said signing the Bill would violate both letter and spirit of the joint Statement of Intent that gave birth to the GNU.
Before deciding on his next move, Steenhuisen is scheduled to meet Ramaphosa for a last-minute objection.
Meanwhile on Wednesday, Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said there was no reason strong enough to change the president’s mind at this point.
The presidency warned members of the GNU to stop threatening the stability of South Africa’s government every time they had a disagreement on an issue.
“During the negotiations, the DA made it clear that the Bela Bill was unacceptable to us in its current form, because it has constitutional implications for the right to mother-tongue education, amongst other issues,” said Steenhuisen.
“The DA urged President Ramaphosa to send the Bill back to Parliament for a few simple amendments to bring it in line with the Constitution.”
The DA leader said it was high time that the GNU partners established a dispute resolution mechanism to get the ANC to understand that it could no longer take unilateral action on issues.
“If the president continues to ride rough-shod over these objections, he is endangering the future of the government of national unity, and destroying the good faith on which it was based.
“The DA regards this issue in the most serious light, and I will convey to the president the destructive implications it holds for the future of the GNU,” said Steenhuisen.
Pictured above: DA leader John Steenhuisen and President Cyril Ramaphosa.
