Mbeki initiated the National Dialogue in response to requests from several organisations for his views on 30 years of democracy and the country’s future.
The six foundations that withdrew from the National Dialogue are set to return and continue where they left off, so as not to let the process collapse.
This was hinted at by process preparatory committee member Max Boqwana, CEO of the Thabo Mbeki Foundation, during a University of South Africa biannual conversation with Mbeki, the chancellor.
The foundations – Mbeki, FW de Klerk, Desmond and Lear Tutu, Chief Albert Luthuli, Oliver and Adelaide Tambo and Steve Biko – left the dialogue process in protest at the failure to include the people and civil society.
National dialogue tensions
Mbeki initiated the National Dialogue in response to requests from several organisations for his views on 30 years of democracy and the country’s future. He said the dialogue must be people-driven, rather than led by political parties.
Tension existed between the foundations and President Cyril Ramaphosa, who proceeded with the national convention on 15 August, despite a request from the foundations to postpone it by two months.
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The conflict created an opening for Mbeki’s opponents within and outside the ANC to criticise him for allegedly “attempting to rule from the grave”.
The foundation’s temporary departure threw the process into disarray, with many losing hope that it would be credible without the involvement of struggle stalwarts and the De Klerk foundation, seen as representing the former dispensation.
The president asked the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) to engage with the foundations to bring them back to the table.
EPG highlights value of foundation leadership
Last month, the EPG, in a letter to the foundations, shared the view that the process would “benefit from your leadership, commitment and knowledge”.
It added: “We remain committed to a National Dialogue that is radically inclusive, transparent and accountable – and to working with all stakeholders to achieve this.
“We regard this as a generational opportunity to renew our national compact, and we are determined that it should not be lost to expediency or mistrust.”
Ayhan Cetin, executive director of Turquoise Harmony Institution – an independent civil society organisation – said the National Dialogue will only be meaningful if it is truly people-driven.
“If it remains in the hands of elites, it risks becoming another performance of power rather than a pursuit of healing,” said Cetin.
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