Seven legacy foundations withdraw from National Convention task team, call for postponement

Seven prominent foundations on Friday proposed that the first National Convention, scheduled to be held on August 15, be postponed, to allow for adequate preparation, coherence and participatory integrity.

The foundations announced their withdrawal from the structures of the National Dialogue Preparatory Task Team and the first National Convention, citing violations of the dialogue's core principles.

President Cyril Ramaphosa explained that given challenges facing the country, there was broad agreement on the need to convene a National Dialogue.

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 a loss of meaningful platform for the dialogue.

"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.

"We cannot lend our names to a gathering that does not allow for genuine dialogue. Furthermore, the National Convention was envisaged as a kick-off event for the real heart of the National Dialogue - community, sectoral, and citizen-led engagement," foundations said.

The Convention will take place between August 15 and 17 August at the ZK Matthews Hall, at the University of South Africa, in Pretoria.

There have been concerns around the dialogue, with claims that the African National Congress was using it as an electioneering platform, as well as concerns around the dialogue's reported R750-million budget and possible instances of corruption.

The foundation called the dialogue "premature", arguing that there is no agreed upon plan for its roll out.

The foundations said their withdrawal is not out of "apathy or disengagement", stressing the need for the dialogue to be "credible, principled and anchored in public trust."

They also cited the erosion of citizen leadership and a lack of financial and operational infrastructure, stating that the absence of a confirmed approved budget allocation and a last-minute commitment of initial funds has made preparation impossible.

"This raises real risks of a poorly organised and unaccountable process. The push to proceed has created pressure to engage in emergency procurement, which may violate the Public Finance Management Act.

"The lack of resourcing has affected the logistical readiness for the Convention, but even more so the possibility of it being a substantive and meaningful engagement. Without programmatic, operations, communications and other critical capacity the event will not be a credible launchpad for a truly transformative process for South Africans," the foundations stated.

They said they are unwilling to be part of a process that "undermines" the principles, governance and accountability values that the dialogue is meant to strengthen.

The foundations also noted deep disagreements within the Preparatory Task Team over the nature of the dialogue, readiness, governance, and risk, highlighting that a lack of shared clarity and alignment would destabilise the effort.

Last month, former President Thabo Mbeki had sharply criticised Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen over his party's decision to withdraw from the National Dialogue in June, calling the move "misplaced" and "very strange indeed".

The DA made the decision to withdraw from the National Dialogue following Ramaphosa's decision to remove DA Deputy Minister Andrew Whitfield from his position.

In an open letter addressed to Steenhuisen, Mbeki accused the party of undermining an inclusive, citizen-led initiative that intends to create a new national consensus.

He argued that the DA's continued participation in t...