Mzansi says the Bela Act will do more good than harm

 

The Congress of South African Students (Cosas) is calling on government to prioritise the full implementation of the BELA Act without any amendments.

The organisation believes this will also restore the citizens’ faith in government’s commitment to human rights.

Cosas’ remarks come after civil rights organisation, AfriForun, painted Pretoria orange during their protest against the Bela Act.

AfriForum and other 40 organisations gathered to express their dissatisfaction over the legislation, which was passed in the National Assembly last month.

Afriforum, the DA and Solidarity, have long opposed the oppose the proposed law, alleging that it takes away the right of school governing bodies to make important decisions about language, and admissions.

High profile government officials from the Government of National Unity (GNU), including the Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, and Minister of Correctional Services, Dr Pieter Groenewald, were among the thousands of South Africans at the march.

While the youth organisation emphasises the importance of government implementing the whole Act without any amendments, they have acknowledged that government’s efforts might be delayed due to neo-liberal superpowers, such as those of the aggrieved parties.

“We firmly condemn the acts of the racist DA, Freedom Front Plus, Afriforum and Solidarity which are aimed at preserving the riches of the privileged at the expense of the marginalized groups in South Africa. These organisations do not stand for the upliftment of the underprivileged through quality and free education but instead are consistent with a program to protect the privileges of the rich by distributing government resources inequality to the already privileged members of our society.”

Cosas says their march is an attempt to undo all of government’s efforts to not leave any child behind.

“…they are instead an attempt to continuously oppress the underprivileged child.”

Social media users have also weighed in, with popular X user, Biancasays3, saying she was embarrassed as a white South African, about the march.

She says she’s baffled by the group’s opposition to equal education.

The DA is misrepresenting the BELA Act. They’re either a bunch of complete and utter morons or they’re deliberately disingenuous. https://t.co/Qbkfhjz9Be

— SUPERINFORMATIVE on TikTok (@i_likebrandon) November 6, 2024

Political parties, including the EFF, and Gauteng premier, Panyaza Lesufi, have also shared their take on the matter.

The EFF’s Statement Strongly Condemning the Right-Wing Protest by the DA, AfriForum, and Freedom Front Plus Against the BELA Act

-No degree of apartheid nostalgia either in the form of the display of old flag, its colours memorabilia, symbols, racist utterances of the so called… pic.twitter.com/GRx8M73Stl

— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) November 6, 2024

The choice of the Orange Colour says a lot! This time you can’t exclude our children and succeed! We are not intimidated. #TryHarder pic.twitter.com/VqjXi6g0Ii

— Panyaza Lesufi (@Lesufi) November 5, 2024