Bela Act Will Stand In Court Should It Be Challenged Sadtu

The South African Democratic Teachers Union Sadtu has expressed its support for President Cyril Ramaphosa's directive for Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube to fully implement the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act BELA Act with immediate effect.

This follows a decision by Parliaments clearing house, where all parties agreed that the BELA Act should not be sent back to Parliament for further amendments to the contentious sections.

Sadtu spokesperson Nomusa Cembi stated that the union is confident the act will stand up in court if challenged. "We believe these sections were introduced to advance the transformation of education in South Africa. They also align with previous Constitutional Court rulings on admission and language policies in schools. These clauses were crafted to be in line with those rulings, and we are confident they will withstand any legal challenges."

President Ramaphosa has signed the Presidential Proclamation to officially bring the act into operation today.