The Department of Basic Education has dismissed as meaningless a picket at the Union Buildings in Pretoria today by members of AfriForum Youth over the BELA Bill.
The Bill passed by the National Assembly in October last year, will among others, give provincial education departments powers to decide on language policies in schools instead of governing bodies.
However, AfriForum Youth says it’s going to challenge the Bill in court if it gets approved by the National Council of Provinces, as it views it as an indirect attack on the Afrikaans language.
Basic Education spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga says it’s inevitable that the Bill, which seeks to level the playing field by ensuring that all learners can access any schools will be adopted.
“If they are opposed to diversity, if they are opposed multi racialism, then they have a problem. Because it is inevitable that is going to happen, whether they go to court or not. It will not make a difference to us.”
“We know these matters have already been ventilated in the courts. So that Bill and some of the provisions have come about because of some of the court rulings that the department needs to adhere to. Their protest is meaningless,” adds Mhlanga.
