Bela march: Analyst and Nelson Mandela Foundation shocked at AfriForum’s ‘unfortunate’ colour choice

Opposition to the Bela Act has been undermined by suspicion that it was about race and ethics of the people who marched against it at the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria on Tuesday, rather than the real interest of education.

Analyst Piet Croucamp said the orange colour of AfriForum chosen for the event was unfortunate and bad PR.

“The fact that Steve Hofmeyr, a well-known right-winger and supporter of the old South African flag was present, is a PR disaster.

“The cause by the opposition of the Bela Act has been undermined by the now serious suspicion that it was about race and ethics of those present, rather than the real interest of education,” he said.

March may have been about race rather than education

This came after Cosatu accused the organisers of being racially motivated after a four colour flag incident. Images of a man carrying the old South African flag at the protest sparked debate and division on social media platforms.

Cosatu spokesperson Zanele Sabela called on the Human Rights Commission to investigate and hold the individuals accountable as the DA, AfriForum and Solidarity had been adamant their protest was not about race.

“While we acknowledge every citizen’s constitutional right to protest, we condemn the individuals who saw the march as an opportunity to display old apartheid-era flags,” she said.

Sabela said Cosatu supported its affiliate, the South African Democratic Teachers Union, demand for implementation of the Bela Act in its current form.

AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel denied there were any old flags during the march.

He said it was the biggest march from the African world since 1994 and the fact that it was so successful was the reason people were prepared to tell lies to discredit it.

He said: “There was someone who arrived with one of the four-colour flags, but security had orders to ask him not to display the flag because the march was about Bela, not anything else, and then he left,” he said.

Kallie said it was just the same as arriving at a Cosatu march with a four-colour flag and being asked to leave, with someone then trying to discredit the march.

About 10 000 marchers from 40 organisations dressed in orange marched against the Bela Act, with leaders from interest groups and political parties including DA leader John Steenhuisen and Freedom Front Plus leader Dr Pieter Groenewald.

ALSO READ: AfriForum says Bela Act ‘targets Afrikaans schools and threatens out cultural survival’

Nelson Mandela Foundation shocked at event

Former CEO of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, Verne Harris, agreed with Cosatu. He told Newsroom Afrika that he was shocked by the display of colours at the march.

“Looking at the wide-angle shots of the crowd and this sea of orange, white and blue, resonated as the apartheid oranje, blanje, blou. One does not know to what extent this was choreographed, but the messaging for me was clear and disturbing,” he said.

Harris said the Vierkleur was a symbol of white supremacy and Afrikaans nationalism, like the apartheid flag.

“The Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB) used to display the Vierkleur, so it is associated with white far-right supremacism.”

President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Bella Act into law in September, leaving out Sections 4 and 5 for three months for further deliberations.

The sections require school governing bodies of public schools to submit language and admissions policies and any amendments for approval.

Additional reporting by Itumeleng Mafisa.

ALSO READ: ‘When they said there won’t be a march at Freedom Park, I said that doesn’t play on my f***ing TV’ – McKenzie