By Thapelo Molefe
The Congress of SA Students (Cosas) has called for the urgent removal of Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube, accusing her of stalling the implementation of the Basic Education Laws Amendment (Bela) Act.
Cosas president Kamogelo Nkosi told reporters on Monday that the “protracted delay” in finalising and gazetting key regulations, particularly on language and admission policies, was harming the education system and denying children their constitutional right to education.
“The Bela Act was signed by President Cyril Ramaphosa in September 2024, yet its provisions, including compulsory Grade R admission, remain unimplemented.
“Many children are still at home without access to schooling, a direct result of the Department of Basic Education’s failures,” Nkosi said.
He claimed Gwarube had issued non-binding draft guidelines instead of formal regulations, describing them as “a pure representation of rebellion by the department against lawful provisions of the country”.
“These failures affect not only admissions but also language policies, leaving the education of black and underprivileged children at ransom to political manoeuvres,” he said.
The student body also accused the Democratic Alliance, under whose banner Gwarube serves, of pursuing “anti-progress and neo-liberal” agendas that fragment the development and growth of the black child.
“The Portfolio Committee on Basic Education has warned against deliberate stalling tactics and emphasised the urgent need for clarity. The delay not only hampers the transformation goals of the Bela Act but also risks deepening inequalities in access to quality education,” Nkosi said.
Beyond the law, Cosas also raised alarm about bullying and safety in schools, warning that incidents of violence continued to rise without decisive intervention from the Department.
Gwarube’s office rejected Cosas’s claims.
Her media liaison officer, Lukhanyo Vangqa, said the statement was “self-evidently untrue,” noting that the minister had already released the first set of BELA regulations for public comment.
“She has taken a modularised release approach to ensure that as soon as a regulation is approved by the office of the Chief State Law Advisor, it is immediately released to the public,” Vangqa said.
Despite this, Cosas leaders warned that unless their demands are met, they would mobilise students and march to the department’s headquarters in Pretoria.
INSIDE EDUCATION
