‘Dialogue cannot be built on haste' — Key organisations withdraw from National Convention

Daily Maverick

2 days ago

Organisations, including the Thabo Mbeki Foundation and Desmond and Leah Tutu Foundation, cited a litany of concerns such as the rushed timeline, inadequate preparation, disagreements within the Preparatory Task Team and 'government control' as the reason for their withdrawal from the precursor to the National Dialogue.
A week before the start of the National Convention, which is expected to set the agenda for the broader National Dialogue, key organisations behind the initiative have withdrawn, citing concerns over 'cutting corners', 'centralising power' and a rush to host the gathering on 15 August.
'It is with deep regret, but with unwavering conviction, that we have resolved to withdraw our participation from the structures of the Preparatory Task Team [PTT] and the First National Convention of the National Dialogue scheduled for 15 August 2025.
'This is due to our belief that core principles meant to underpin the whole National Dialogue have been violated in the rush to host a gathering on 15 August.
'We do so not out of apathy or disengagement, but because we remain committed to the belief that all aspects of the National Dialogue must be credible, principled and anchored in public trust,' the non-profit groups said in a joint statement on Friday, 8 August.
The organisations include the Steve Biko Foundation, Thabo Mbeki Foundation, the Chief Albert Luthuli Foundation, the Desmond and Leah Tutu Foundation, the FW de Klerk Foundation, the Oliver and Adelaide Tambo Foundation and the Strategic Dialogue Group.
They said that prior to making their announcement, they had informed both President Cyril Ramaphosa and the Eminent Persons Group of their position.
Statement From the Foundations on the National Dialogue 8 Aug 2025 by on Scribd
The groups said their decision to withdraw from participating in the PTT, and the First National Convention on 15 August, does not represent a withdrawal from the National Dialogue process itself.
'We remain committed to the principles under which we have been working – to its vision and its urgent necessity,' they stated.
Ramaphosa announced the first National Convention in early June this year. A National Dialogue PTT was set up and began mobilising civil society and establishing various working committees. A second National Convention is planned for 2026, which will consolidate the proposals from the various engagements into a national vision and implementation programme, Daily Maverick reported.
The initiative – meant to tackle a wide range of South Africa's pressing issues including unemployment, poor governance and gender-based violence – was met with immediate opposition, owing largely to its R740-million price tag, a figure the Presidency disputed.
In June, Government of National Unity (GNU) partner, the DA, announced it would not participate in the National Dialogue following the axeing of party member Andrew Whitfield as deputy minister of trade and industry.
Last month, former president Thabo Mbeki – whose organisation was among those that have withdrawn – warned that the National Dialogue process risked being meaningless, without capable leadership.
'Sake of expediency'
The organisations, in their statement, have proposed that the National Convention be rescheduled to after 15 October, to allow for 'adequate preparation, coherence and participatory integrity'.
Daily Maverick understands that the feeling among those in the organisations involved in the process is that the 15 August gathering would not constitute a meaningful engagement because there has not been adequate preparation.
According to a source who spoke to Daily Maverick about the background to the issue, the groups are concerned that this will be a 'performative gathering' because the Presidency is set on the 15 August date. The source said concerns over the lack of critical resourcing, operations and systems had been flagged with the Presidency in the weeks leading up to the National Convention. However, the pursuit of the 15 August date appeared to override these concerns.
'We can't have the convention in its current form go ahead in our names, but if things change, we would support the endeavour of the National Dialogue. But it must be meaningful, citizen-led and build a platform that is transformative for the country,' the source said.
The groups, in their statement, cautioned that the National Dialogue 'cannot be built on haste'.
'Deadlines cannot override substance,' they said.
This is due to our belief that core principles meant to underpin the whole National Dialogue have been violated in the rush to host a gathering on 15 August.
In their statement, the groups listed a series of reasons for their withdrawal from the PTT and the National Convention, including, what they called, the 'erosion of citizen leadership'.
'What began as a citizen-led initiative has unfortunately in practice shifted towards government control. In pushing forward for a convention on 15 August at the will of government officials and against the advice of the sub-committee chairs, we believe that a critical moment in which citizens should be leading will be undermined. The principles and important nature of being a citizen-led process are being sacrificed for the sake of expediency,' read the statement.
They said that the 'rushed timeline, constrained logistics and limited interactive design' meant that the convention no longer offers a platform for meaningful engagement.
'The structure risks becoming symbolic rather than substantive – more performance than participation. 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. As yet, there is no agreed plan for the roll-out of the real Dialogue, and as such the National Convention is premature,' they added.
'Strategic misalignment within the PTT'
According to the groups, the 'continued absence of a confirmed, approved budget allocation and a last-minute commitment of initial funds' has made adequate preparation for the gathering 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 (PFMA),' they said.
They added that there were 'deep disagreements' within the PTT over the nature of the National Dialogue, readiness, governance and risks.
'Without shared clarity and alignment at the core of the process, moving ahead would be destabilising to the national effort. Unfortunately, this strategic misalignment revolves around the move away from a citizen-led National Dialogue to a government-led process,' the organisations said.