Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has been accused of using the gazetting of the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act regulations to sow confusion, delay the implementation of the Act and advance the DA’s political agenda.
THE South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) has accused Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube of using the gazetting of the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act regulations to sow confusion, delay the implementation of the Act and advance the DA’s political agenda.
Gwarube recently gazetted the first two sets of regulations under the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act, 2024 (BELA Act) for public comment, saying two regulations, which deal with language and school capacity were designed to ensure that the amendments in the BELA Act were implemented in a manner that upheld learners’ rights, enhanced school functionality, and maintained a careful balance of powers and functions between school governing bodies and the government in the management and governance of schools.
Further regulations would be released for public comment as soon as they were finalised, vetted, and approved, she said.
However, the move has been met with mixed reactions, with the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education among the first to raise concerns that Gwarube may be undermining the intent of the Act through a fragmented rollout of draft regulations and the use of terminology that appears to deviate from the language and purpose of the Act.
“The regulations on admissions, for example, refer to taking into account the demographics and education needs of the ‘surrounding community’. In the Bela Act the responsibility for admission policy lies with the head of department (HOD) and is based on the ‘broader Education Districts’. This potentially reinforces local demographic homogeneity, contrary to the type of inclusivity the Act intended,” said Maimela.
While the BELA Act refers to the broader community in the education district in which the public school is situated, the gazetted regulations instead use the term “feeder zones” to manage learner numbers and coordinate parental preferences.
The introduction of “feeder zones” in the regulations deviates from the BELA Act, which references “education districts”, said Maimela.
“This, points to keeping previously disadvantaged learners out via location. Historically it has been linked to exclusion. It seems these regulations are attempting to re-write the Bela Act and re-introduce matters that were unsuccessfully contested in the Bela Act legislative drafting process,” Maimela added.
Sadtu said they were still studying the regulations and intended to make their submissions on or before the deadline.
“In June this year, the Minister released guidelines for the implementation of the BELA Act, a move that SADTU strongly rejected as the Act does not empower the Minister to issue implementation guidelines. The Minister is only allowed to make regulations. SADTU viewed the issuing of guidelines as an attempt to sow confusion, delay the implementation of the Act and advance the DA’s political agenda against the full implementation of Sections 4 and 5. SADTU will exercise extreme vigilance to ensure that the regulations align strictly with the letter and spirit of the BELA Act,” the union said.
GOOD Party secretary-general Brett Herron said Gwarube cannot use the regulations to introduce concepts that undermine or "limit the rights created by Parliament through legislation".
Herron added that school language policies remain among the most contested and politically weaponised tools used to preserve historical privilege.
“Regulations must not be allowed to reinforce this. BELA was meant to reform outdated admissions and language policy frameworks and dismantle the spatial, linguistic, and racial barriers that persist in South Africa’s public education system. However, the wording of the regulations does not reflect that intention. Instead, the Minister has selectively chosen language that risks entrenching exclusion,” said Herron.
Parents for Equal Education South Africa (PEESA) said the organisation had mixed feelings, while they did not seek to strip School Governing Bodies (SGBs) of their power entirely, they believed that reform was necessary to enforce accountability where it had long been lacking.
“The Western Cape was the only province that took real issue with the Bella Bill, they call it centralisation of power, (but it's) because they didn't want to be held accountable for the exclusion, discrimination that they have embraced for far too long. The Bella Bill forces them to account, now we will address real issues such as inequalities, they can't hide behind an SGB anymore. Because for far too long former model C schools have gotten away with the violation of the rights to basic education for all learners,” said PEESA founder Vanessa Le Roux.
While Gwarube’s office did not respond to requests for comment by deadline, the draft regulations are available on the Department of Basic Education’s website and in the Government Gazette No. 53119 and 53120 of 6 August 2025. Comments on the draft regulations must be made by September 30 via
*This article was first published by IOL News
The latest data from Statistics South Africa indicated that South Africa's official unemployment rate has risen to 33.2% in the second quarter of 2025, up from 32.9% in the previous quarter.
However, expressing it as a percentage does not convey the severity of the issue.
In South Africa, approximately 25 million people are not working. If the number is too overwhelming to grasp, let's crunch the numbers. Keep in mind that the working-age population is 41.8 million people.
To provide clarity amid public discourse, Stats SA has offered precise definitions to IOL and shed light on the methodology.
Defining "Employed" Persons: The 16.8 million employed persons in Q2:2025 are, according to Stats SA's official definition, individuals aged 15–64 years who, during the reference week, performed any work for at least one hour, or who had a job or business but were temporarily absent. This clarifies that even part-time work contributes to the official employment count.
Clarifying "Official Unemployment": The 8.4 million officially unemployed persons meet specific, strict criteria as defined by Stats SA. These are individuals aged 15–64 years who were not employed in the reference week, but actively looked for work or tried to start a business in the four weeks prior to the survey, and were available for work. Some may also be included if they had a job to start at a future definite date and were available, even without actively searching.
The Nuance of "Expanded Unemployment" and "Discouraged Work-Seekers": Stats SA clarifies that 'Discouraged work-seekers' are specifically excluded from the official unemployment definition.
However, it's important to note that these individuals – who numbered 3.4 million in Q2:2025 – are crucial to understanding the bigger picture. They are included in the "expanded unemployment rate," which stood at 42.9% in Q2:2025, significantly higher than the official rate of 33.2%.
This expanded definition also accounts for those available for work but not searching for "other reasons". This distinction highlights the hidden challenges within the labour market, where many have simply given up looking for work.
Understanding the "Not Economically Active (NEA)" Population: The data shows 16.6 million people are "Not Economically Active" (NEA). This refers to the remainder of the working-age population after employed and officially unemployed persons are accounted for, following an "ILO hierarchy" where employed persons are counted first, then unemployed, and the rest are NEA.
This NEA group includes the 3.4 million discouraged work-seekers and 13.2 million "other Not Economically Active" individuals (e.g., students, homemakers, those too old/young to work, or with illness/disability).
The "25 million not working" in context: Drawing on these definitions, it becomes clear how we arrive at the approximate figure of 25 million people not working within the working-age population (8.4 million officially unemployed + 3.4 million discouraged work-seekers + 13.2 million other Not Economically Active).
Stats SA also affirmed that its methodologies are "clear and transparent," based on household responses and adjusted for non-respondents to ensure accuracy.
When viewed against the working-age population, the 25 million people who are not working represent approximately 59.8% of the entire working-age population in South Africa during Q2:2025.
Furthermore, when viewed against the total South African population of 63.1 million, this means that nearly 40% of the entire population is not working.
What are the implications?
High Dependency Ratio: The large number of people not working (25 million) combined with those outside the working-age population (approximately 21.3 million) means that a large portion of the total population depends on the 16.8 million employed individuals.
This suggests a high dependency ratio, where a relatively small proportion of the population is economically active and supporting a much larger non-working population. This can place considerable strain on social services, public finances, and the employed individuals themselves.
Economic Burden: The substantial number of unemployed and Not Economically Active individuals, including those who are discouraged, indicates an underutilisation of human capital and a major drag on economic growth. It highlights the challenge South Africa faces in creating enough jobs and enabling broader participation in the economy.
Social and Developmental Challenges: Such high rates of non-employment can lead to various social challenges, including poverty, inequality, social unrest, and a lack of opportunities for a large segment of the population, particularly the youth.
Following the release of the statistics, Free SA reiterated its call for the national government to step back from unnecessary regulations, high compliance costs, and anti-growth policies that strangle business.
“Jobs give dignity and independence, but the current pace of growth is far too slow to make a dent in South Africa’s unemployment crisis,” said Reuben Coetzer, spokesperson for Free SA. “We cannot pat ourselves on the back for adding 0.3% more jobs when our working-age population is growing at the same rate – or faster. In real terms, we are standing still, while millions remain jobless.”
*This article was first published by IOL News
This follows the withdrawal of at least six legacy foundations from the preparatory task team ahead of the first leg of the National Dialogue.
The Presidency has disputed allegations that tensions between former President Thabo Mbeki and President Cyril Ramaphosa are affecting the National Dialogue boat.
This follows the withdrawal of at least six legacy foundations from the preparatory task team ahead of the first leg of the National Dialogue.
The national convetion, which is expected to begin this Friday without the legacy foundations, inclduing the Thabo Mbeki Foundation, has sparked speculation over its success.
The Presidency's Vincent Magwenya said that while the former and the current presidents disagreed on certain issues, they had not communicated yet over the dialogue.
"The president and former President Mbeki have not discussed this matter and so I will not draw them directly into these issues. The president did his best to lend his ear to the members of the PTT and discuss their concerns and try and work through possible solutions. There were solutions that were presented on the table but they didn't accept them."
*This article was first published by Eye Witness News
ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula said that the party may have reached a point where it was no longer able to persuade the SACP to abandon its decision to contest the elections.
A heated debate has erupted between the ANC and the SACP over its decision to contest the 2026 local government elections independently.
The controversy centers around comments made by ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula, suggesting that individuals who are members of both the ANC and SACP and deployed in Cabinet positions may have to choose between the two parties.
The SACP's decision to contest the 2026 elections independently was made during their elective conference.
Historically, the SACP has been a key partner in the tripartite alliance with the ANC and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu).
Recently appointed Higher Education Minister Buti Manamela, Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe, and Science, Technology, and Innovation Minister Blade Nzimande are among those who may be compelled to choose where their loyalty lies.
SACP spokesperson Mbulelo Mandlana responded to Mbalula's assertions, saying that the ANC Secretary-General has been "careless" with his statements.
"He is making false claims," Mandlana said.
"The process of the elections and deployment is not exclusively for the ANC, it involves the alliance as well…in the past ANC officials have made these kinds of statements and they help no one…The process of the elections and deployment is not exclusively for the ANC, it involves the alliance as well.
“Historically the deployment requires a list from the alliance. It's not an ANC function exclusively…For as long as we have had democracy the ANC has acted alone. He must desist from making those kinds of statements.
“These members are also members of the ANC. So he is being divisive and careless while using the government as a factional tool…There are a lot of SACP members who are in government including ministers, deputy ministers, MECs, MPs and MPLs. He is starting a witch-hunt that we can't afford…It's a futile attempt to move the SACP away from its conference resolutions,” Mandlana said.
Mandlana emphasised that being a member of the SACP and holding a government position was not a punishable offense.
Mbalula, however, stood firm on his stance, warning SACP officials to make up their minds on whether they are still with the ANC or with the SACP.
"In our view, the resolution of the SACP is forcing members to choose between the ANC and the SACP," Mbalula said.
He questioned what the SACP wanted to achieve by contesting elections and emphasised that the alliance could not function as usual, while one of its partners contested elections outside of the collective.
“Is it important that the communist party understand the implications of their decision,” Mbalula said.
A senior ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) member revealed that there were talks within the party to strip SACP members who hold government positions of their jobs and reserve those positions exclusively for ANC members.
"Comrades are grappling with the fact that SACP comrades in government should make their own decision as to where they want to be," the official said.
Cosatu spokesperson Matthew Parks said that that federation was still discussing the matter of elections, including the SACP Special National Congress resolution to contest elections.
“We’ve convened a Special Central Executive Committee to discuss it and will be holding our Central Committee in September where further discussions will take place on it. These will then go to our National Congress next year which would have the final say on it.
He said affiliates were undertaking similar discussions and receiving mandates from members and workers and would take these to Cosatu’s processes.
“Ultimately we want an Alliance with the ANC and SACP that is renewed, reconfigured and on the ground a Federation that is united…These are complex and sensitive matters and hence extensive engagements are being held, in particular with workers,” Parks said.
*This article was first published by IOL News
Nigeria’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson has cited national security concerns as a reason for resisting “pressure” to accept third-country migrants
Nigeria will not accept foreign migrants deported from the US despite other neighbors doing so under deals with Washington, local newspaper The Punch has reported, citing the Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson.
Kimiebi Ebienfa told the outlet on Saturday that the West African nation is grappling with “multiple domestic challenges” and will not take on “additional baggage” from abroad.
“We have our own issues we are struggling with. We will not allow ourselves to be pressured into accepting deportees, regardless of what other nations are doing,” the Foreign Ministry spokesman said, according to the newspaper.
“We are a sovereign country and we take decisions only after fully analyzing the implications to our national security,” Ebienfa added.
The comments come amid US President Donald Trump’s push to secure third-country deals to deport migrants deemed a threat to America’s national security.
Last week, Rwanda agreed to take up to 250 deportees under a deal in which the East African nation will receive a US grant in return. In July, the Trump administration deported five “barbaric criminals” to Eswatini, saying their home countries had refused to take them back, weeks after sending eight people to South Sudan.
Details of the agreements with both countries have not been disclosed. The White House had earlier revoked all visas for South Sudanese passport holders and halted new issuances, effectively barring the country’s nationals from America.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the move was in response to Juba’s refusal to accept deported nationals, adding that the measure could be reviewed once the country fully cooperates.
In July, the US State Department announced changes to its “reciprocal non-immigrant visa policy,” cutting the duration and tightening entry conditions for most travelers from countries including Nigeria.
Following the move, Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar told local broadcaster Channels TV that Washington’s visa restrictions and tariff hikes were not reciprocal measures but coercive tactics aimed at pressuring African nations to “accept Venezuelans to be deported from the US, some straight out of prisons.”
*This article was first published by IOL News
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