Speaking at the Union Buildings in SA's capital city Pretoria, he says the Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube has committed to implementing the bill despite her protestation to the signing of the bill in its current state.

Ramaphosa says he will allow a process of stakeholder consultation on clauses four and five of the Bill.

Meanwhile, lobby group AfriForum has vowed to take legal action against the government over the BELA Bill.

AfriForum’s Head of Cultural Affairs, Alana Bailey says it is opposing the shifting of authority to set a school’s language policy from the School Governing Body (SGB) to the Basic Education Department.

“At the moment, the SGBs have the final say about these policies but if the BELA Bill is signed today, we expect it to be then the final decision will lie with the provincial heads of education and we feel that in the past, the constitutional courts have in several cases already ruled in favour of SGB’s having such power and saying that its part of a very beneficial relationship between the community and the department. And even though we objected from 2017 to date against these sections they remain unchanged in the current version.”

--SABC--