Cape Town — Civil Rights organisation, AfriForum, unanimously requested that the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Freedom Front Plus (FF+) reconsider their role in the Government of National Unity (GNU) if the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill remains implemented.
In a statement, AfriForum CEO, Kallie Kriel, said the BELA Bill is a threat to the future of Afrikaans schools and added that the decision made by AfriForum followed internal emergency talks in response to the group of anti-Afrikaans activists within the African National Congress (ANC), and senior officials in the Department of Education.
“This anti-Afrikaans group is openly aiming to derail constructive discussions and steamroll the implementation of the Bela Bill in its current form, making cooperation within the GNU impossible,” Kriel stated.
He said the hope of the GNU heralding a new era of cooperation would be over the ANC co-opted the DA and FF+ to follow its policies. He said the two parties do not have the right to participate in the injustice that will be put upon Afrikaans children in schools, should the bill be implemented.
AfriForum asks DA and FF+ to reconsider GNU if BELA Act remains unchanged@afriforum‘s board has unanimously decided to officially request the DA and FF+ to reconsider their participation in the Government of National Unity (GNU) if the BELA Act, which threatens the existence of… pic.twitter.com/U25oTZwDpu
— Kallie Kriel (@kalliekriel) October 2, 2024
He said that if the BELA Bill was implemented in the GNU, it would be an “attack on the survival” of Afrikaans communities.
“Unlike other cultural groups in the country, Afrikaans speakers do not have large traditional areas where their culture is promoted. Therefore, Afrikaans schools play a central role in the survival of various Afrikaans cultural communities across the country,” Kriel said, adding that the fight against the BELA Bill is a fight for cultural survival.
AfriForum’s concern over the current BELA discussions stems from Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi, and Gauteng MEC for Education, Matome Chiloane, indicated that there is no space for single-medium Afrikaans schools.
“This disregard for further discussion is also shared by a number of senior officials in the National Department of Education. This was evident during a meeting where an official was highly confrontational towards AfriForum, Solidarity, and Saai’s representatives, even indicating that the implementation of the Bela Amendment Bill is a foregone conclusion,” Kriel stated.
AfriForum continues to mobilise public opposition to the BELA Bill and has garnered more than 215 000 people to sign AfriForum’s petition against the bill.
The Racist @afriforum’s call for the DA and FF+ to reconsider their participation in the Government of National Unity if the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act remains unchanged is misguided and undermines the pursuit of equality in education. The BELA Act is a significant… https://t.co/jNRrVFqU5U
— ONE AFRICA 🌍 (@AfricaisBlack) October 2, 2024
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
