After Thursday’s statement from the Solidarity Movement, which claimed a settlement had been reached with government over the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill dispute, Deputy President Paul Mashatile has denied this.

He stated that the Solidarity Movement’s statement was based on a process that was not part of the official procedure of the Clearing House Mechanism of the Government of National Unity (GNU) parties.

The GNU Clearing House Mechanism was established by President Cyril Ramaphosa in September for the purposes of resolving policy disagreements within the 10-member GNU. Mashatile oversees the Clearing House Mechanism in his capacity as Leader of Government Business in Parliament.

Within the Clearing House Mechanism, a small team was established to work on some of the concerns raised around the BELA Act, specifically concerns around clauses 4 and 5 of the Bill.

In its joint statement with Solidarity and AfriForum, the Solidarity Movement said that, according to the agreement reached with the Presidency and Democratic Alliance (DA) Minister of Education, Siviwe Gwarube, the controversial sections in the Bill will no longer be implemented on December 13.

However, Mashatile said his office had heard of the agreement from “informal channels”.

“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. 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,” Mashatile’s office said.

The GNU, when it was originally founded, pledged to cooperate through the signing of a Statement of Intent.

Mashatile has since written to all GNU parties, to remind them that the Solidarity Movement’s statement was unsanctioned.

He assured that an amicable solution would be found using the Clearing House Mechanism processes and said all parties would soon be informed of a meeting to discuss recommendations made by the sub-committee.

The African National Congress (ANC) welcomed Mashatile's clarification and slammed the DA for trying to "bypass established processes . . . in a desperate effort to perpetuate apartheid-era standards in our education system.

"Such actions are a direct affront to the principles of transformation and equity that underpin our democracy," said ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri.

She said it was important that GNU parties stick to processes of the Clearing House Mechanism to ensure transparency and collective decision-making.

"The ANC remains committed to ensuring that legislative processes, including the BELA Act, reflect the shared vision of a united and transformed South Africa. We call on all GNU parties to respect the spirit of collaboration and work towards resolutions that benefit all South Africans," she said on behalf of the ANC.