AfriForum views BELA Bill as an attempt at cultural ethnic cleansing
2 May 2024
That eight of the country’s nine provincial legislators today gave the green light to the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill (better known as the BELA Bill) does not surprise AfriForum, as this step is in line with the ANC’s relentless effort to get the Bill passed. The amended version that was approved today, is still regarded by AfriForum as an attempt at cultural ethnic cleansing, as it will enable the destruction of a linguistic and cultural community’s schools, thereby jeopardising the group’s future cultural existence.
“As long as provincial heads of education can make final decisions about schools’ language and admissions policies, the door is open to change single-medium Afrikaans schools to dual or parallel-medium schools. That consultation about such changes should take place with schools’ governing bodies, is meaningless. Consultation on the BELA Bill has been taking place since 2017 and the public has repeatedly made their opposition to aspects of it clear. Nevertheless, the controversial issues are still part of the Bill, which proves that consultation is often a cosmetic step only that must be taken, before the ANC government does what it wants anyway,” says Alana Bailey, AfriForum’s Head of Cultural Affairs.
She refers to events in the past where provincial officials did everything possible to change the language policy of single-medium Afrikaans schools: “Each time lengthy, expensive legal processes were necessary to prove that the Department is wrong and Afrikaans children have a right to single-medium mother-language education institutions. These steps were usually accompanied by unrest in the community and associated stress and trauma for teaching staff, parents and children. AfriForum believes that BELA is an attempt to circumvent future legal processes.”
Bailey emphasises that local and international research and practical examples have repeatedly proven that double and parallel-medium schools eventually become single-medium schools in the strongest language. This means that schools that offer both Afrikaans and English tuition will end up teaching in English only.
“Afrikaans has already been eroded in a similar manner at all the country’s public universities and several Afrikaans schools. It is now the turn of the remaining Afrikaans schools. AfriForum is therefore preparing for both national and international legal action to oppose it, should the Bill be signed into law by the president and implementation begins,” concludes Bailey.
Members of the public can give their mandate for AfriForum’s legal action at www.stopbela.co.za.
Issued by Alana Bailey, Head: Cultural Affairs, AfriForum, 2 May 2024
