TimesLIVE reports that trade union Solidarity says its agreement with the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and the Presidency regarding the Basic Education Laws Amendment (Bela) Act is legal and cannot be rejected.
The agreement, signed on 27 November, states that two contested Bela clauses will no longer come into force on 13 December as gazetted, but that, as the agreement stipulates, norms and standards, regulations and national policy must first be finalised before the articles can be implemented. This reaction comes after comments by President Cyril Ramaphosa's office declaring that the agreement has no bearing or influence on his final decision on the implementation of Bela should the aggrieved political parties not resolve their issues successfully in the GNU clearing house. His deputy Paul Mashatile echoed these sentiments, pushing back on DA demands to have certain clauses of the Bela Act scrapped. Solidarity CEO Dirk Hermann poured cold water: “Mashatile, who is part of the presidency, criticised the agreement, but he is also bound by the agreement. This indicates divisions within the ANC which are also reflected in the presidency.” He went on to say: “The necessary norms and standards must first be developed, which can take up to 18 months … President Ramaphosa cannot put the Bela articles into effect on his own authority, especially if the minister advises him otherwise.” Ramaphosa signed the act into law in September but delayed the implementation of two clauses, 4 and 5, by three months to allow for further parliamentary discussions. The three-month period for parties to finalise proposals on the matter ends on 13 December. Hermann warned that Solidarity would take the battle to the courts should the President proceed with full implementation.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sisanda Mbolekwa at TimesLIVE (subscriber access only)
- Lees ook, Bela: Ooreenkoms ís bindend – Hermann, by Maroela Media
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