The Office of Deputy President Paul Mashatile confirmed the formation of this task team, which aims to facilitate agreement on the BELA Act within the GNU coalition. This decision followed a Wednesday meeting involving leaders from multiple parties, where discussions focused on two contentious clauses related to school admissions and language policy.
These clauses have raised concerns among signatories to the GNU’s statement of intent. The newly formed task team, organized under the GNU’s clearing house mechanism, will work toward a resolution on these disputed issues.
The Deputy President’s Office emphasized that, despite differing opinions, there was broad agreement on prioritizing a solution that serves the interests of all South Africans over party-political agendas. The GNU clearing house mechanism—established by President Cyril Ramaphosa last month—aims to resolve policy conflicts and foster unity within the 10-party coalition, led by Deputy President Mashatile.
After extensive discussions, the clearing house mechanism approved the formation of a small task team to address concerns raised by some parties.
Deputy Minister Andries Nel will lead the task team, joined by Cornelius Mulder from the Freedom Front Plus, Brett Herron from the GOOD Party, Helen Zille from the Democratic Alliance (DA), and Mdumiseni Ntuli from the African National Congress (ANC). The team has been given two weeks to prepare their report for the clearing house mechanism.
Background: How We Got Here
Following the ANC’s failure to secure enough votes to govern independently, it formed a coalition GNU with several other parties, including the DA. The DA has consistently voiced objections to several aspects of the BELA Bill, and concerns about potential friction within the GNU emerged when DA member Siviwe Gwarube was appointed as Minister of Basic Education.
In September, President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the BELA Bill into law. However, due to lingering concerns, he postponed the implementation of clauses 4 and 5 for three months to allow for further discussions.
Minister Gwarube declined to attend the signing ceremony, citing unresolved issues, particularly around public school admissions, language policies, and the phased introduction of compulsory Grade R. She urged Parliament to address these concerns to ensure equitable access to quality education for all learners.
Gwarube also acknowledged the importance of compromise within the GNU and confirmed that she had discussed the Bill with the President.
