By: Thabi Shomolekae
Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen says his party will not, “under any circumstances”, agree to the implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme and clauses 4 and 5 of the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill, as he announced key medium-term priorities for the party in the Government of National Unity. In marking the GNU’s first 100 days in office, Steenhuisen on Friday spoke to the media in Johannesburg, where he said that parts of the BELA Act, in its current form, would deprive children of mother-tongue education in single medium schools, and that the NHI would bankrupt South Africa “without improving healthcare or health outcomes”. Despite some public rejection, and concern over the BELA Bill’s constitutionality, President Cyril Ramaphosa signed it into law, however, he placed on hold clauses 4 and 5 of the Bill for three months to find solutions to the concerns around them. Should no solutions be found, the Bill will be implemented fully, he said. “We were very clear about BELA, from the beginning of our negotiations, going into the GNU on the Statement of Intent. The reality is, of cause, in a government the ANC needs to understand that it can’t get everything they want and so too the DA understands it cannot get everything that we want, but it cannot be a situation where the DA’s view and opinions must not be taken into consideration and are not accepted,” Steenhuisen said. He said his party would not form part of a government where clauses of the Constitution would be violated. →
