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Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Lifestyle
Shola Lawal

What’s South Africa’s new school language law and why is it controversial?

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in Parliament in Cape Town [File: Jerome Delay/AP Photo]

A new education law in South Africa is dividing lawmakers and sparking angry emotions in a country with a complex racial and linguistic history.

Last Friday, President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) bill into law but suspended the implementation of two hotly contested sections for at least three months for further consultations among opposing government factions.

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