Cape Town – Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has urged politicians not to turn the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act into a political football.
Her call came in response to criticism from Parliamentary Portfolio Committee Chairperson Joy Maimela, who took issue with the piecemeal gazetting of the Act’s draft regulations, according to EWN.
“While we understand the intent may be to avoid technical delays, this fragmented rollout undermines the coherence, urgency and integrity of the BELA implementation process. South Africa’s children cannot afford to wait for bureaucratic caution or political compromise,” the report quoted Maimela said.
The BELA Act, which came into effect in December 2024, introduces key reforms, including compulsory Grade R attendance, updated language policy regulations, and revised school admissions processes.
Gwarube said the legislation was crafted “to help bring coherence to the school system” and cautioned that “there are still leaders in the country who are hell-bent on politicising this piece of legislation”.
HELEN ZILLE
The BELA Act is an anti Afrikaans policy
English speaking learners are likely to dominate in Afrikaans schools and render Afrikaans irrelevant
Any black child who wants to access an Afrikaans speaking school must be willing to learn Afrikaans. The school can’t… pic.twitter.com/k0uadE0TkG
— Constitution First 🇿🇦 (@Constitution_94) December 17, 2024
According to Inside Education, Maimela also warned that the admissions regulations, as gazetted, could work against the BELA Act’s transformative goals by potentially excluding disadvantaged learners through location-based restrictions.
Gwarube, however, issued a statement defending the phased gazetting approach, saying the draft regulations had been “carefully considered and drafted by a group of experts”.
She invited all stakeholders, including parents, teachers, governing bodies, and civil society, to submit public comments before the September 5 deadline.
The Minister of Basic Education, Ms Siviwe Gwarube, has officially gazetted the first two sets of regulations under the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act, 2024 (BELA Act) for public comment.
🗓️ Members of the public have 30 days from the date of publication until 5 September… pic.twitter.com/1feG8bQhvO
— South African Government (@GovernmentZA) August 10, 2025
While the Department of Basic Education maintains the regulations will improve fairness and inclusivity, the process has sparked debate among education stakeholders.
Some teacher unions and political parties have expressed support for the changes, while others have raised concerns over possible unintended consequences.
MINISTER UNDERMINING EDUCATION REFORM
Instead of breaking down barriers, Minister Siviwe Gwarube is using regulations to quietly sabotage the transformative intent of the BELA Act.
The new draft BELA regulations:
🔸 Reinforce outdated language & demographic-based admissions
🔸… pic.twitter.com/llSDJFZcM9— GOOD (@ForGoodZA) August 7, 2025
[JUST IN] President @CyrilRamaphosa & Education Minister, @Siviwe_G have been served with letters of demand over the promulgation of the BELA Act. AfriForum & Solidarity argue that the proclamation is irrational & unconstitutional. They have been given 10 days to respond. pic.twitter.com/zGcOGxBYAf
— Zoleka Qodashe (@ZOLEKV_Q) January 16, 2025
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Picture: X/@Siviwe_G
Compiled by Lisabeal Nqamqhele
