IS SOUTH AFRICA’S GNU UNDER PRESSURE AMID RAMPHOSA’S BELA BILL SIGNING

Following the signing into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa of the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill (BELA), the Government of National Unity faced its first major test.

The public signing ceremony in Pretoria was snubbed by the DA Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, whose party has opposed the legislation in its current form.

The DA, alongside non-profit civil rights organisation Afriforum and Trade Union Solidarity, are among the most vocally opposed to the Act, which amended the South African Schools Act (SASA) of 1996 and the Employment of Educators Act (EEA) of 1998.

The ANC initiated the legislation more than a decade ago in order to align laws in the education sector and to give effect to the right to basic education as enshrined in Section 29(1) of the Constitution. Ramaphosa, however, suspended two out of the 54 clauses of the Act for 90 days to allow time for a resolution to be found.

OBJECTIONS TO CLAUSES 'UNREASONABLE'

Speaking on Prime Live, political analyst Sandile Swana said that the objections to the clauses are unreasonable relative to the nation as a whole. He explained that there was ample time to raise objections during the more than ten-year passage of the legislation through the National Assembly, the National Council of Provinces, and numerous public hearings.

"To do so now is simply an attempt to undermine the process," said Swana.

'THE ANC IS IN THIS MESS BY ITS OWN MAKING'

Swana pointed out that the ANC has only itself to blame for the situation, arguing that the party could have passed the legislation long before South Africa had a GNU or before it was in coalition with the Democratic Alliance.

"They could have passed it 20 years ago. It is because of the laziness and carelessness of the ANC that we are now in this situation," Swana remarked.

He also noted the political tensions affecting the coalition arrangement and suggested that the bill might be used to achieve other political objectives.

Citing the situation in the City of Tshwane and the imminent removal of the DA mayor there, Swana said the two parties are locked in a strange situation where they are uniting and disuniting at the same time.

Swana accused the DA of openly supporting white supremacy with its objections to the bill, asserting that there is no rationality behind these objections and that Ramaphosa cannot successfully negotiate the BELA clauses in question.

'MONEY IS THE GLUE THAT WELDS GNU MEMBERS TOGETHER'

Although Gwarube did not attend the public signing, Ramaphosa mentioned that he understood her reasons for not attending. However, the issue of insubordination arises when a minister refuses to implement a law.

To this, Swana said it is clear that GNU members are welded together by white monopoly capital, citing a statement issued by Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) before the election, which advocated for excluding the MK Party and the EFF from any coalition.

BLSA is an association representing 130 CEOs at the helm of some of South Africa's biggest businesses. Questioning the independence of any GNU member, including Ramaphosa, Swana observed that no free political decisions can be made when the GNU is controlled by money.

'A RACIST, PRO-APARTHEID POSITION BEING IMPOSED ON SA'

For ordinary South Africans worried about a governance crisis and whether the GNU will last its five-year term, Swana said that because the GNU is not a genuine one with independent actors and is driven by business, it is a "puppet show." He does not foresee Ramaphosa, Steenhuisen, or any other member walking away.

As the country waits with bated breath during these three months for a deal to be reached, Swana warned that if Ramaphosa agrees with organisations he described as "the white right-wing," it will result in the loss of black votes in the 2026 local government elections.

"I don't think the ANC will agree with the white right-wing like Afriforum and Solidariteit. If Ramaphosa accommodates them, it will promote the MK Party and the EFF relative to the 2026 election," Swana said.

In conclusion, he decried that the squabble over clauses 4 and 5 of the BELA Act is informed by a racist, pro-apartheid position being imposed on a democratic South Africa.