Deputy President Mashatile clarifies position on the GNU on the BELA Act

The Office of the Deputy President has learned of an agreement on the BELA Act, from informal channels and has since written a letter to all members of the GNU clarifying that the process that is referred to in the statement supposedly released by Solidarity is based on a process outside the sanctioned process of the Clearing House of the parties that signed the statement of intent.

According to the statement only one party from GNU would have been involved in a parallel process to the one sanctioned by the GNU parties and signatories of the statement of intent. Based on the statement, the Minister of Education and an official from government would have been complicit in this meeting. 

The GNU and its representative parties are still engaged in a process that will be finalised soon. ‘We call on all parties that signed the statement of intent to uphold their bonafides and cooperate with the official process,’ said the Deputy President. The BELA ACT, like other ACTs is a product of parliament and the President, and no intervention can therefore downplay the centrality of these key role players. 

The Deputy President assures the representatives of all political parties in the GNU Clearing House Mechanism that processes will unfold to manage the situation collectively with members of the GNU towards finding an amicable solution.

Representatives of political parties in the GNU Clearing House Mechanism will be informed officially about the details of the next meeting where the recommendations of the Sub-committee will be tabled. 

Media enquiries: Mr Keith Khoza, Acting Spokesperson to the Deputy President on 066 195 8840

Enquiries on GNU: Mr. Mduduzi Mbada, Head of Office of the Deputy President on 082 900 1893

Issued by: The Presidency
Cape Town