By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
South Africa’s Legacy foundations called for a postponement of the National Dialogue to allow for adequate preparation, coherence and participatory integrity, citing violations of the dialogue’s core principles.
The Steve Biko Foundation, Thabo Mbeki Foundation, Chief Albert Luthuli Foundation, Desmond and Leah Tutu Foundation, FW de Klerk Foundation, Oliver and Adelaide Tambo Foundation and the Strategic Dialogue Group noted the Dialogue had become compromised.
“The rushed timeline, constrained logistics, and limited interactive design mean that the proposed Convention no longer offers a meaningful platform for engagement,” the foundations said in a joint statement on Friday.
The foundations warned that the Dialogue risked becoming symbolic rather than substantive.
The National Convention kicks off on August 15 and 16 at the ZK Matthews Hall, at Unisa, in Pretoria, and marks the beginning of the National Dialogue process, which will roll out over the next few months across the country in the form of public dialogues in communities and sectors.
The National Convention organising committee chairperson Boichoko Ditlhake led a media briefing on Monday to present a public update on the convention and dialogue, following the controversy last week.
He acknowledged the withdrawal of the foundations but asserted that the process needed to swiftly continue.
“The convention organising committee includes volunteers from around 20 civil society organisations. As the convention organising committee, our task is to ensure that the National Dialogue process is handed over to a broadly representative steering committee that will be established at the first National Convention. There is no need for unnecessary delays,” Ditlhake said.
He added that the process needed to be handed over to civil society, citizens and citizen organisations and said no one group should control the venture, as had been the concern from many parts of society. He stressed that the National Dialogue was decentralised by design.
Ditlhake assured that “appropriate steps” had been taken to contain the costs associated with the Dialogue and to use available public facilities.