Outcry against BELA prompts president to allow further talks
13 September 2024
President Cyril Ramaphosa did indeed sign the BELA Bill today, but pressure from various sides and the key role played by parties such as the FF Plus in the Government of National Unity (GNU) secured three months for further talks before the law will come into effect.
The FF Plus welcomes the President's decision.
This means that the law's controversial sections and provisions which seriously threaten language rights – particularly because it places all decision-making regrading schools' language and admission policies in the hands of provincial Departments of Education – are put on ice until then.
During talks with the President about BELA this week, the party leveraged its position in the GNU to voice its objection to BELA.