President Cyril Ramaphosa is due to sign the Basic Education Laws Amendment Bill on Friday despite objections from parties in the nearly three-month-old unity government.
The new law will give the government more power to determine the language and admission policies of schools which critics say could undermine mother-tongue education. The Afrikaans community in particular fears this could penalise schools that teach in its minority language.
The leader of the second-largest party in the unity government, the Democratic Alliance (DA), told the Cape Town Press Club he had met Ramaphosa to discuss the bill which it believes must not become law.
If Ramaphosa went ahead and signed the bill, "we will have to consider all of our options on the way forward," party leader John Steenhuisen said. The dispute over the education bill is the first major test for the government of national unity (GNU) formed after the African National Congress (ANC) lost its majority in May elections.
Conflicts in the government are "not necessarily an existential threat to the government," Steenhuisen said. "But that doesn't mean we would never walk away under any circumstances." Ramaphosa meanwhile downplayed concerns that the bill could fracture the government, saying he had met alliance parties for dinner on Wednesday evening.
"Each one of the parties that were at that dinner table all confirmed that the government of national unity is here to stay," he said. In his address, Steenhuisen reminded the ANC that his party holds the balance of power in the unity government. "Without the DA’s support in parliament, the government does not have a majority in parliament," he said.
The DA priority is an economy that grows and creates jobs. "If the GNU can’t do that, there is no point being part of it," he said.