South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has ignited a political firestorm by signing the Basic Education Law Amendment Bill into law, sparking a legal battle with the Democratic Alliance (DA), one of the major parties in the coalition government. The DA opposes key aspects of the bill, arguing that it over-centralizes government control over school governance, particularly regarding language policies.

Despite the controversy, Ramaphosa has given a three-month window for consultations, but the DA has already moved to challenge the bill’s constitutionality in court, highlighting deepening fractures in South Africa’s government.