By steamrolling through the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill in a meeting of the Portfolio Committee on Education, Sport, Arts & Culture held today, the ANC in the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature has paved the way for any aggrieved party to have this bill set aside and declared invalid by the courts.
Information presented to the committee shows that the majority of views expressed by members of the public were not in favour of the proposed amendments. In tallying the votes cast at public hearings, the committee reports states that, “The majority of votes were not in favour of the Bill”. At the Bergsig Library Hall in Springbok, only 18 of the 265 attendees supported the bill and at the De Aar Community Hall, only 9 of 211 attendees supported the bill. At Piet Thole in Upington the rights of the 831 attendees were infringed upon when an overwhelming majority aired their views against the bill, but were denied an opportunity to cast their vote against the bill.
Clearly, the people of the Northern Cape did not give the Portfolio Committee a mandate to support this bill. Myself as DA representative supported by another member of the opposition honoured the overwhelming majority of public views, where three members from the ANC used their slim majority to force through a committee position that supports the bill. By ignoring the objections voiced by the people of the province, these three members of the ANC created fatal procedural flaws that now renders the bill vulnerable to legal challenges when enacted.
Copies of our formal objections to the Speaker of the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature and the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee were also sent to the Chairperson of the Committee on Education & Technology, Sports, Arts & Culture of the National Council of Provinces.
The kind of arrogance, abuse of power and political immaturity displayed by the ANC, which ignores public views and dissent because it is politically convenient to do so, is the last kicks of a dying dictatorial horse. Parents and school governing bodies who want to rescue the basic education system from tyranny and authoritarian leadership must make sure to cast their votes for the DA on 29 May.