ANC hellbent on forcing BELA Bill through Committee
15 May 2024
Note to editors: Please find attached soundbite by Baxolile 'Bax' Nodada MP.
The parliamentary committee for Basic Education was today meant to engage on amendments made by the NCOP on the BELA bill. Instead, the ANC Chairperson displayed behaviour akin to an autocratic dictator.
Not only did she refuse to allow adequate time to deliberate on the amendments made by the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), dictating that Members only have 3 minutes to provide valid challenges to legislative clauses that will deeply affect our children’s education –but also removed Members from the virtual meeting when they disagreed with her autocratic rule.
The Committee today was nothing more than an ANC rubber stamp, free of any meaningful deliberation or consideration. To put this into perspective, the ANC had already tabled the Report in the National Assembly for voting tomorrow, despite the committee not even having met, considered any of the amendments by the NCOP, or had sight of the very report they were supposed to vote on. They also accepted a version of the bill from the NCOP that contained mistakes.