BELA Protest: Thousands expected at largest march for Afrikaans
4 November 2024
At a media conference held today, a total of 41 Afrikaans organisations from across a wide spectrum expressed their support for a protest march on 5 November against the BELA Act.
They also unanimously expressed their opposition to the sections in the BELA Act dealing with language and admission policy at schools. Thousands are expected to participate in the protest action on 5 November.
Dr Hendrik Theys, chairperson of the Afrikaanse Taalraad, summarised the feeling on the day in the following words: “We dare not allow the murdering of a language”.
Flip Buys, chairperson of the Solidarity Movement, said that people have to walk a few kilometres to prevent our children from having to fly away thousands of kilometres.
Kallie Kriel, AfriForum’s chief executive, says the BELA battle is the biggest battle since the establishment of this organisation.
Heindrich Wyngaard, executive chairperson of the Cape Forum, confirmed that BELA is threatening all Afrikaans communities, and that it would lead to language confusion and poorer education in the coloured community.
Solidarity Chief Executive Dr Dirk Hermann said that BELA is attacking the soul of the Afrikaans community. For this reason, political parties and the Government of National Unity (GNU) must hear: “Bela is our red line.”
Paul Sauer, chief executive of the Suid-Afrikaanse Onderwysersunie, emphasised the democratic right of parent communities.
Thousands of Afrikaans speakers and supporters will also gather at the Voortrekker Monument and march to Freedom Park this coming Tuesday, 5 November.
According to the Solidarity Movement, which is organising the march, this will be the largest protest march by Afrikaans speaking people since 1994.
The 41 organisations that attended the media conference, all support the march.
The DA leader, John Steenhuisen, the leader of the Freedom Front Plus, Dr Pieter Groenewald, the leader of the Patriotic Alliance, Gayton McKenzie, and other government representatives will also attend the occasion. Several leaders from traditional communities will also demonstrate their support for mother tongue education.
Memorandums will be handed to the various political parties in the GNU and to government representatives.
Organisations participating in the protest march include Solidarity, AfriForum, the Cape Forum, the Suid-Afrikaanse Onderwysersunie, Solidarity Helping Hand, the Solidarity Support Centre for Schools, the MOS initiative, the Afrikaans Onderwysnetwerk, die Afrikaanse Taalraad, the Federation of Afrikaans Cultural Associations (FAK), the Voortrekkers, the Afrikanerleiersnetwerk (Afrikaner leadership network), Akademia, Aros, the AP Akademie, Bo-Karoo Opleiding, Sol-Tech, SAAI, TLUSA, the Afrikanerbond, the Rapportryers, the Pretoria Sakekamer and NEASA.
According to Dr Theuns Eloff, convenor of the Afrikanerleiersnetwerk and chairperson of the Afrikaanse Onderwysnetwerk, there is widespread resistance to the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act (BELA). He says the implementation of BELA’s controversial sections dealing with language and admission will completely anglicise single-medium Afrikaans schools within three to five years.
According to Kallie Kriel and Dr Dirk Hermann, two of the BELA negotiators, several tough negotiating processes are taking place with various political parties. The pressure created by the protest action will help a great deal in the negotiations. It must be a show of force. Negotiations are also taking place in the GNU.
In the memorandum that will be handed to leaders of several political parties in the GNU, as well as to government representatives on 5 November, the marchers request that the offending sections 4 and 5 of the BELA Act not be implemented. According to the memorandum, this is not just about Afrikaans as language, but about the principle of mother tongue education in general.
Issued by Flip Buys, Chairperson, Solidarity, 4 November 2024
