Division abound en rout to social compact
It's meant to set the stage for discussions on a new social compact, but at this stage, it seems to be causing more divisions.
Legacy foundations are worried that people are being left out. Parliament is worried that its money is being abused.
While at the same time, there is no clear indication of how the process toward a National Dialogue will unfold.
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The Citizen
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IOL News
2 hours ago
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ActionSA snubs National Dialogue, sends MPs to monitor spending
As criticism mounts over the National Dialogue, ActionSA refuses participation but commits to oversight. Two MPs will observe and report on whether the dialogue delivers reform or political theatre. ActionSA has announced that it will not formally participate in the upcoming National Dialogue Convention, citing unresolved concerns over the process and the legality of its funding. The party revealed it will instead send two senior Members of Parliament, Dr Kgosi Letlape and Lerato Ngobeni, to attend in an observation capacity only. IOL previously reported that several legacy foundations, including the Steve Biko Foundation, Thabo Mbeki Foundation, Chief Albert Luthuli Foundation, Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation, WDB Foundation, Oliver and Adelaide Tambo Foundation, and the Strategic Dialogue Group, withdrew from the dialogue last Friday. In a joint statement issued on Friday, the group said the decision was made with 'deep regret' but was necessary to protect the process's credibility and integrity. They accused the organisers of shifting the initiative away from its citizen-led origins towards government control. 'What began as a citizen-led initiative has unfortunately in practice shifted towards government control,' the statement read. AfriForum, the Solidarity union, and the Freedom Front Plus have also pulled out.
