by Deidré Baartman, MPP – DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Education
Date: 04 April 2024
Release: Immediate
Attention editors: Please see English audio and a copy of the letter received from the NCOP attached.
Following the Western Cape’s protest at the unreasonable timeline surrounding the processing of the Basic Education Law Amendment (BELA) Bill, the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) last night made a decision to allow the Western Cape to supplement its negotiating mandate for the NCOP clause-by-clause deliberations on 17 April 2024. This follows ongoing pressure from the Western Cape to extend the participation process in order to allow as many residents as possible to voice their opinion on this controversial Bill.
The NCOP will now be forced to consider the entirety of the Western Cape public’s submissions on the Bill. Previously, the committee had been forced to submit an incomplete negotiating mandate, but had protested to the NCOP that this submission gave an inadequate impression of the Western Cape’s public opinion on the matter. On the 27th of March, the committee took a resolution to consider legal action should an extension not be granted – a measure which now, thankfully, seems moot.
Thus far, more than 5 300 written submissions have been received on the Bill across written, email, online, and WhatsApp channels, while more than 2 700 residents have attended in-person hearings thus far in Beaufort West, Plettenberg Bay, George, Mossel Bay, Paarl, and Saldanha Bay. The vast majority of oral submissions considered by the committee thus far have been against the Bill, with concerns around costing, centralisation of power in the hands of the national Minister, and language and admission policies.
The number of residents who have attended public hearings is likely to increase as the Western Cape’s final two hearings take place in Cape Town this evening. The first will take place from 15:00 to 17:00, while the second will take place from 18:00 to 20:00, both at the Western Cape Provincial Parliament chambers in Wale Street.
DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Education Deidré Baartman says: “Today’s letter from the NCOP represents a victory for the people of the Western Cape. Public participation in the law-making process is of critical importance; and I am proud that our committee has steadfastly defended the right of the Western Cape’s residents to make their voices heard. The BELA Bill has the potential to affect many learners’ and parents’ lives. We will not allow our committee and the NCOP to be used as mere rubber stamps for the legislative process. We will, and must, therefore continue to unashamedly defend the rights of the people of the Western Cape.”
Members of the public who are unable to attend these last two hearings have until midnight tonight to submit written submissions on the Bill. These submissions can be made by email (WHMoosa@wcpp.gov.za), by WhatsApp (081 498 6075), or via the online submission form (https://forms.office.com/r/hKVpkPGbbY).
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