The government’s move to launch a national dialogue to address the country’s social and economic malaise has descended into disputes, with the Thabo Mbeki Foundation accusing the organisers of the national convention of an “unethical effort to mislead the people”.
In a letter dated August 12 to National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) executive director Makhukhu Mampuru, the foundation said the August 15-16 meeting at Unisa “is not the first national convention” and accused organisers of misleading the public.
The foundation’s chair, Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, said that the event was not sanctioned by the official preparatory task team, the body overseeing the dialogue process, and that its conveners have “nothing whatsoever to do” with the recognised national convention.
“With due respect to those who will attend the forthcoming meeting at Unisa, these individuals will have no possibility whatsoever to claim to represent any of the constituencies to which we have referred and will be unable to engage meaningfully on the challenges facing our country,” Fraser-Moleketi said.
“It is exactly for this obvious reason that the meeting at Unisa cannot, as you claim for some reason, ‘mark the formal kickoff of an inclusive, citizen-led process to chart a shared vision for SA’s future’.”
The foundation, the Steve Biko Foundation, the Desmond and Leah Tutu Foundation and FW de Klerk Foundation withdrew last week, citing concerns that the process was state-led rather than citizen-led.
The letter from the Mbeki Foundation comes amid a wave of withdraws of participation from the national convention, which is expected to lay the foundation for the national dialogue, from political parties, civil society organisations and labour unions.
The interministerial committee (IMC), chaired by deputy president Paul Mashatile, has cast the dialogue as a critical space for an inclusive, citizen-led effort to chart a shared vision for the country.
“The IMC noted the decision by some foundations to pull out of the preparations for the national convention and requested that the deputy president engage these foundations in the process towards this inclusive dialogue,” Mashatile’s office said in a statement on Thursday.
“Unisa is providing the venues for the plenary, overflow venues with live-stream services, 10 breakaway venues, dining area and work areas. In addition, Unisa is providing facilities for an operations centre, which has been running over the past week with catering, ushers, audiovisual services, printing of discussion documents, signage, conference bags, notepads, pens and Wi-Fi.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, told reporters: “The credibility [of the national convention] cannot be determined by one person, neither can it be determined by seven organisations or foundations.
“It would have been great to have the former president there, but he’s not there. The reality is that the show will go on and South Africans will continue with the dialogue process and hopefully, at some point, not only the Thabo Mbeki Foundation but other foundations will find it amongst themselves to participate in the process and realise that there’s no benefits out of boycotting.”
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