AfriForum ready for Bela protest march to oppose “biggest challenge for Afrikaans cultural communities since 1994”

AfriForum and more than 40 other organisations today confirmed that they are ready to participate in the protest march against the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act 32 of 2024 (the Bela Act). The march programme will start at 09:00 tomorrow at the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria. AfriForum’s commitment to oppose the Bela Act’s controversial sections was reaffirmed this morning during a media conference in Centurion.

According to Kallie Kriel, CEO of AfriForum, the current format of the act’s provisions on public schools’ admissions and language policies creates the “biggest single challenge for Afrikaans cultural communities since 1994”. He described the opposition to these provisions, which AfriForum has been dealing with continuously since 2017, as the most important struggle in which AfriForum has been involved in this organisation’s 18 years of existence.

Kriel mentions that this case is about the survival of Afrikaans cultural communities because Afrikaans schools play a pivotal role within these communities. “In order to maintain the balance of forces and to protect the survival of Afrikaans cultural communities, visible protest is essential, which explains why this protest action is necessary,” Kriel explains.

AfriForum is looking forward to participate in the protest march tomorrow, Tuesday, 5 November 2024, together with representatives of the more than 40 organisations and thousands of other individuals.

The march will start at 09:00 at the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria. Members of the public are encouraged to register at www.belaprotes.co.za to be part of this important action. All information about the march is available on the registration page.