BELA protest gathers speed after red tape clears

The much-anticipated BELA protest march on November 5 will indeed move ahead as planned, culminating at Freedom Park in Pretoria. The protest will start at the Voortrekker Monument at 08:00, before marchers proceed to the park along Pretoria’s “Reconciliation Road.”

After going through the usual channels, AfriForum received a firm response from the CEO of Freedom Park’s, Dr Jane Mufamadi, refusing them access, and telling them to take it up with the President.

Flip Buys, Chairman of the Solidarity Movement, stated that Freedom Park’s refusal constituted a dramatic symbolic exclusion of Afrikaners from the fabric of national society:

“The park’s mission to build a future as a united nation does not seem to include the Afrikaans community, and their refusal can only be interpreted as a symbolic move to exclude Afrikaners and Afrikaans speakers from participating in this unity.”

But soon after, Buys appealed to the Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, who managed to use his influence and negotiation skills to intervene, and permission was granted.

The march, organized by the Solidarity Movement, Solidarity, AfriForum, and the Support Centre for Schools (SCS), is aimed squarely at the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act (BELA), challenging clauses that would centralize decisions on language and admissions policies, wresting control from school governing bodies.

Buys expressed appreciation for the minister’s role in facilitating access:

“Political resistance against our fight against BELA is nothing new, and in the run-up to the BELA protest march we naturally expected it. Nonetheless, we are pleased that the minister has responded to our call to protest peacefully, as we are constitutionally entitled to do. After all, the route between the Voortrekker Monument and Freedom Park along which the protesters will march, is known as ‘Reconciliation Road’.”

Registration numbers at belaprotes.co.za suggest widespread support, with thousands already signed up, underscoring a substantial, cross-section of resistance to BELA’s perceived encroachment on Afrikaans-language education.

Buys emphasized that this growing coalition should serve as a reminder to the government. “Dialogue on this issue is essential, but it is crucial for authorities to understand that we are not negotiating on behalf of a marginal or isolated group,” he remarked. The protest will also draw a range of organizations, political parties, interest groups, schools, and parents, all united against legislation that threatens local autonomy in educational policy.

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