GNU DISCUSSIONS ON BELA CONSTRUCTIVE, SAYS ZILLE

Tue 17 December 2024:

Helen Zille, chairperson of Democratic Alliance’s (DA) federal council, said discussions on the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act have been constructive so far.

“I think it’s gone constructively,” she told SABC News in an interview on Monday. “Everyone was trying their best to find a win-win solution and there are win-win solutions on the table.”

The act was signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa in September. However, he delayed the implementation of controversial clauses four and five. DA, a major partner in the coalition government, is opposed to it.

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Zille said it was “essential” for conflict resolution mechanisms to work if the government of national unity (GNU) is to survive its five-year term. But parties do not always have to agree, she said.

“We’re obviously not going to agree with everything the ANC wants or does, or ANC policy. After all, we opposed them in the election and they can’t govern without us now. What we have to do is also service our voters in the government of national unity and we have to find a win-win situation for everybody,” she said.

Alongside the National Health Insurance Act (NHI), observers point to BELA as potentially the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Ramaphosa’s three-month suspension of its implementation ends this month.