Johannesburg – John Steenhuisen, the Leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA), has put forth a “win-win compromise” aimed at enabling the implementation of the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act (BELA).

In reaction to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s remarks about resolving contentious elements of BELA at the clearing house, Steenhuisen stated that this action permits the Act’s enforcement “without compromising the established constitutional rights to mother tongue education.”

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“Crucially, the President’s announcement regarding the implementation of the BELA Act clarifies that the Minister of Basic Education, the DA’s Siviwe Gwarube, is tasked with developing the regulations, as well as norms and standards, that will govern the Act, including sensitive matters related to language and admissions,” Steenhuisen remarked.

“We have complete confidence in Minister Gwarube’s ability to create effective guidelines that will protect school autonomy from potential erosion.

“The assignment of this pivotal responsibility to a level-headed DA Minister reflects the DA’s role in the GNU as the guardian of constitutional rights, including the right to mother-tongue education.”

Steenhuisen highlighted that the President’s commitment to fully implement the BELA Act was agreed upon by all parties involved in the Task Team (DA, FF-Plus, GOOD, and ANC), with the consensus that DA Minister Siviwe Gwarube would establish the necessary norms, standards, and regulations to manage the enactment of the controversial sections of the Act.

“This has been a difficult process, but this outcome has shown that the conflict resolution mechanisms of the GNU can work effectively when parties demonstrate the necessary goodwill,” remarked Steenhuisen, who also serves as the Minister of Agriculture.

“The DA remains resolute in its commitment to uphold the existing right to mother-tongue education and to expand this right to more learners throughout South Africa.

“Our insistence that the contested sections of the BELA Act can only be enacted with suitable safeguards under a DA Minister has been vindicated.”

The GOOD Party expressed its support, stating that it “applauded President Ramaphosa for signing the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act into law today, without diluting its provisions to appease right-wing factions intent on ‘defending’ a fabricated ‘attack’ on Afrikaans-speaking children stemming from cultural integration.”