DA to submit comments on controversial BELA Bill and encourages public to do the same
17 May 2022
Note to Editors: Please find attached English soundbite by Baxolile ‘Bax’ Nodada MP, and Afrikaans soundbite by Desiree van der Walt MP.
The DA will in the coming days submit our comments on the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill that was opened by Parliament on Sunday.
Not only does the DA have a number of concerns regarding the Bill, but we strongly feel that the call for public participation would disadvantage vernacular speakers as all the vernacular advertisements were only published in regional papers, while the English call for submission were published in a national paper (The Sunday Times).
Furthermore, the advertisements in vernacular papers would not allow the public 30 days to submit comments before the closing date on 15 June 2022. While the call for submissions was already advertised on 15 May 2022 in English and isiZulu papers, it will only be advertised in isiXhosa on 19 May, in Setswana, Xitsonga, Sesotho, isiNdebele, Tshivenda, Sepedi, and siSwati on 20 May, and Afrikaans on 21 May.