This commentary examines how deliberately false claims about BELA exploited historical fears and cultural anxieties to obstruct progressive reforms. Further, we argue that these false narratives reveal deeper contestations in South African society that extend far beyond education policy. Schools often reflect society’s deepest tensions—between centralised governance and local autonomy, between redress for historical inequities and protection of cultural identities, between pragmatic policy implementation and ideological positioning. BELA became a lightning rod for these tensions precisely because education policy touches on fundamental questions of identity, belonging, and power.
