By Edwin Naidu
The State of the Nation Address (SONA) starring President Cyril Ramaphosa until his tenure draws to a close, annually shows how out of touch with reality the country’s leadership is.
SONA was a feel-good wish list, oblivious to the pitfalls and people opposed to South Africa’s transformation.
Yet, Ramaphosa hailed the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act as pivotal in ensuring that education was accessible and inclusive for all South Africans.
He assured South Africans that the Minister of Basic Education would introduce national policy, norms, standards and regulations to empower all partners in basic education to support the implementation of the Act.
But is Ramaphosa sure the job can get done when the daggers are out in the name of unity?
It is easier said than done, considering Minister Siviwe Gwarube boycotted the President’s Bela signing ceremony in September 2024.
Can one honestly expect the Bela Act to have a transformative effect when its very opponent in a Government of National Unity is the party which pays lip service to change?
With a Mugabe-styled white leadership under Her Majesty Helen Zille, the DA seems resistant to change, remaining a white party taking off where the racist National Party left off. The only difference is the Nats prevailed in an apartheid era where spending disparities, especially in education, continue to manifest themselves negatively in South Africa three decades after democracy.
Admittedly, the change will take longer than 30 years to reflect the goals in the Freedom Charter or the promises in the ANC’s 1994 Reconstruction and Development Programme, which promised “a better life for all”.
But in a united government premised by a focus on separate interests, as in apartheid, how does one expect the DA to bother about unity when its focus remains on the people left behind by the Nats?
Interviewed by Inside Education soon after her appointment, Gwarube understood the key challenges facing the country, namely, children’s inability to read and write or display numeracy skills by Grade 4, infrastructure inadequacies, especially the existence of pit latrine toilets and lack of proper sanitation, and poor safety and security at schools.
However, the sticking point over Bela shows that the Democratic Alliance remains committed to retaining the rights of one group over another rather than doing what benefits the country.
To her credit, Gwarube is mindful of the challenges. But will the DA allow her to do what is right for ALL South African learners? After all, the same DA joined the Afrikaner AfriForum and trade union Solidarity in opposing Bela.
No surprise, the current incorrect and inflammatory narrative by America’s loony tune President Donald “Duck” Trump and his offer of refugee status to Afrikaners who have had their land confiscated was born out of AfriForum disinformation. No farm has been taken through expropriation laws, which became law last month.
With education critical to the country, many educators argue that Bela will bring positive changes if implemented. But can we expect a party that claims to be part of a united government yet fraternises with people eager to stick the knife into all that is good for the majority to implement regulations that will address the legacy of apartheid?
Ramaphosa must not play Russian roulette with the Bela Act. South Africa cannot allow transformative laws to be held to ransom.
It is a concern that domestic policies around land reached the White House with the rabble-rousing by Trump and his side-kick Elon Musk, who, along with his father, seem ideal candidates for a Jerry Springer-type show.
Musk’s father, Errol, had a stepdaughter named Jana Bezuidenhout. Jana became Errol’s romantic partner. Along with Elon’s 11 children, the Musks would have put Pretoria on the map on the Springer show.
It’s a pity that the controversial and colourful show American host who died in April 2023 is no longer around to put a humorous window on trailer trash. Given his felon charge and a variety of women accusing Trump of sexual attacks since the seventies, you wonder about the mentality of people in America to elect such a person. That’s democracy for you. He was tailor-made for Springer – not the White House!
But we should be sure that the same hatchet job on South Africa’s land policies does not befall Bela. Musk may have been born in Pretoria, but he’s no friend of South Africa.
One hopes that once the Yanks acknowledge the truth about the land debacle, the government can get to work on the nuts and bolts around Bela without stumbling blocks or outside interference fueled by selfish people who dare to call themselves patriots.
Edwin Naidu is the Editor of Inside Education.
INSIDE EDUCATION
