By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Thabo Mbeki Foundation, in joint efforts with other foundations (mainly those founded by struggle heroes), including the Ahmed Kathrada, Steve Biko, Robert Sobukwe and Oliver Tambo foundations, are calling for South Africans to unite to address matters affecting the nation.
Reading a joint statement, Nkosinathi Biko, the son of the late Struggle hero Steve Biko, said there had been a palpable sense of despair, hopelessness and despondency that the organisations were concerned about.
“This feeling in society has been on the ascendancy for more than a decade and threatens to reverse the gains of our hard-fought democracy.
“As the foundations formed by or named after eminent South Africans whose values and actions are a guiding light for the building of a non-racial, non-sexist, equal and democratic South Africa, we are concerned about the perilous state that the country finds itself in … despite a proliferation of political parties and independent candidates in the recent 2024 elections, fewer voters participated than ever before.”
In the 29 May election, 16.2 million out of a registered 27.7 million South Africans participated. It was the lowest voter turnout in the country’s democratic history.
The organisations stressed how the call was important during a media briefing held in Johannesburg on Thursday.
An urgent national intervention was required to restore legitimacy, credibility and enhancement of the SA project.
The foundations are to engage civil society, children and youth organisations, unions, think-tanks, academia, and other grassroots formations to help resuscitate the soul of the nation.
Biko said the foundations would approach the government to ensure such a national dialogue was adequately resourced and supported. “A secretariat shall be set up to develop the national dialogue programme.”
“It is time for every South African to take part in paving a new way forward. We call on all citizens to engage in defining a clear vision and to establish a unifying programme that inspires new national hope.”
During last week’s inauguration as head of state for the 7th administration, Ramaphosa made a call for a national dialogue to consolidate the new GNU. The foundations are instead proposing a separate dialogue unrelated to that suggested by the president.
We will invite all parties, civil society, labour, business and other formations to a national dialogue on the critical challenges facing the nation. We will seek, as we have done at so many important moments in our history, to forge a social compact to realise the aspirations of our National Development Plan,” said Ramaphosa.
“As individuals, as families, as communities and in our many formations, let us draw on our every strength to turn our dream for a better South Africa into reality.”
The foundations stressed there had been no predetermined outcome for the dialogue.
“Rather, it is our expectation that the collective imagination of citizens will organically produce a national compact that is a collective guide to fulfilling the aspirations of our people.”