Signing of BELA comes down to “school capture”, says Cape Forum

11 September 2024

Cape Forum calls on coloured communities to not view the impending signing of the draconian Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill (BELA) as a matter that will only affect former model C schools. This is a fight for every school and every household in South Africa and specifically the Afrikaans-speaking communities.

With the announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office that the controversial Bill will be signed by the president this coming Friday, Cape Forum will turn to the court with other organisations to stop this legislation.

“Our experience so far is that many communities may take a never-mind attitude towards BELA because the ANC created the impression that it is only former Model C schools, in other words, traditionally white schools, that oppose it,” says Heindrich Wyngaard, Executive Chairperson of Cape Forum. “However, we know that this is not the case, as traditionally coloured schools can also be forced by the legislation to adjust their Afrikaans language policy to accommodate small numbers of non-Afrikaans-speaking learners.”

Bernard Pieters, Head of Community Activation at Cape Forum, says: “We will make the Western Cape’s voice heard loud and clear. Today’s statement is the beginning of a bigger campaign against this legislation. The president is clearly out of touch with the people he is supposed to represent as president. He will simply have to hear how these plans will harm people at the grassroots level.”

Cape Forum is convinced that the BELA Bill in its current format falls short and emphasises that it has already been proven across language and cultural boundaries that a community-focused approach is essential for meaningful change in the education sector. The organisation therefore argues, according to Pieters, that the following elements are of critical importance in this case:

• Community autonomy: The BELA Bill does not sufficiently empower communities in the Western Cape to take greater control over their education system. Without a community’s commitment, there will also be no community involvement. This is the first and foremost requirement in running successful schools.
• Resource distribution: Despite the past 30 years of considerable neglect of education in the Western Cape, and in South Africa as a whole, the BELA Bill does not provide clear mechanisms for equitable resource distribution. Resources must be distributed fairly to effectively tackle historical inequalities. Local government will have to play a direct role in this, as they know best how to face local challenges efficiently and sustainably.
• Local initiatives: The BELA Bill does not emphasise the importance of local initiatives and self-help efforts to improve education. Cape Forum believes in promoting community-based projects that will address education challenges directly at the grassroots level.
• Human rights and democracy: Real education reform should bring about a deepening of democracy by devolving decision-making power to the lowest possible level. The Bill should be amended to give communities more say in shaping the future of education.
• The undertaking of an education campaign: This campaign will better inform the communities and governing bodies about the underhand wording found in BELA, which aims to further disempower school communities. This campaign will be run in collaboration with other organisations and communities. The resistance against BELA currently brings together all conceivable groups in South Africa to take a stand against the ANC.
• Seven-point education plan: The Cape Forum, in collaboration with its partners, will also begin rolling out an education plan to make schools more state-resistant, self-sustaining and prosperous.

“Cape Forum is ready to fight BELA in court if the president were to go ahead with the decision to sign the Bill. We have made it clear in the past that we would rather investigate a collaborative solution in the interest of healthy school communities,” says Pieters. “The complete devolution of education to the provincial level is now a matter that must be given urgent priority so that the chestnuts can be pulled out of the proverbial ‘education fire’. Communities must be empowered so that work can be done on the establishment of functioning and healthy communities,” says Pieters.

For more detail, see the presentation made by Cape Forum to parliament in March 2024 here.

Statement issued by Bernard Peters, Cape Forum, Head: Community Activation, 11 September 2024