AfriForum accuses ANC of National Dialogue capture
It says the ANC has taken control of the process, capturing it from its intended citizen-led nature.
READ: Concerns as several legacy foundations withdraw from National Convention
The National Convention is scheduled for this weekend, but several foundations, political parties and other organisations have denounced it.
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IOL News
2 hours ago
- IOL News
Former ANC MP Vincent Smith denied R2m for legal defence in fraud case
Former ANC MP Vincent Smith, pictured here appearing in court, has been unsuccessful in his bid to access just over R2 million to fund his defence in his upcoming criminal trial. Image: Supplied Fraud and corruption-accused former ANC MP Vincent Smith has suffered a major blow after he was refused access to over R2 million to fund his defence in the looming criminal trial. The former chairperson of the National Assembly's Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services is facing charges that he received payments totalling R600,000 from former Bosasa (now African Global Operations) chief operations officer Angelo Agrizzi, who is his co-accused in the matter alongside Smith's company, Euroblitz 48. The 65-year-old Smith and Euroblitz 48 together face seven counts of corruption and 18 of fraud, as well as money laundering and offences relating to the Tax Administration Act. Smith maintains that the funds were a loan and had electric fencing and a security system installed in one of his properties in Johannesburg by Bosasa. In addition, Agrizzi also facilitated payments totalling R277,000, and some of the funds were used to pay for Smith's daughter's studies abroad in tranches between R10,000 and R220,000. Smith failed to declare the benefits he received from Bosasa as required of all members of Parliament by the Code of Ethical Conduct and Disclosure of Members' Interests. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) also accuses Smith of trying to return the favour to Bosasa by rubbishing a high-level probe into tender fraud at the Department of Correctional Services conducted by the Special Investigating Unit when the matter came before the Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services, which he chaired in Parliament at the time. Earlier this year, the Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, Acting Deputy Judge President Thifhelimbilu Mudau dismissed with costs Smith's application for the release of funds in terms of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (Poca) for legal expenses in his criminal trial limited to R2m. Smith's two properties registered at the Johannesburg and Pretoria deeds registries were placed under a preservation order granted in April 2021, in accordance with Poca. The application was brought by National Director of Public Prosecutions Shamila Batohi and dealt with the properties and was meant to safeguard them to satisfy a possible confiscation order to the value of nearly R47m. Smith disclosed a monthly pension from his annuity of R88,459 after tax deductions and R7,500 from property rental. He explained that his actual expenses amounted to R77,545 a month, which left him with a surplus of approximately R18,415 monthly. Smith complained that the amount was inadequate to fund his trial for the anticipated entire term and insisted that he had made a full disclosure of all assets relating to the determination of the value of realisable property. However, Batohi told the court that Smith has never filed any application for living and legal expenses since the restraint order was granted, and admitted he could meet his expenses from unrestrained assets. She said Smith saved over R18,000 a month for the last four-and-a-half years since he was arrested and could have had nearly R1m available towards his legal expenses, but instead continued with his exorbitant monthly expenses. The exorbitant monthly expenses include R11,550 on credit cards and overdrafts, R16,500 on groceries, R7,200 on rent, despite owning properties, R8,100 on a domestic helper and garden services, R2,098 on a cellphone, R2,000 for clothing, R1,480 for satellite television, R899 for Wi-Fi, R5,500 on petrol while he is unemployed, R9,000 for medical fees, R1,000 on his tithe, and R3,200 on printing. Additionally, the court heard that Smith's disclosed income and expenses increased exponentially between the period May 2023 to March 2025, and he failed to provide a declaration of the increase in his income and/or expenses or supporting documents in support of the increase. Smith failed to challenge the allegation that his income and/or expenses had increased, and his legal representative argued that the failure to file a replying affidavit was merely a mistake. Judge Mudau also dismissed with costs his application for leave to appeal, for which he provided reasons on Tuesday this week. Smith indicated that the court erred in reading into the clear provisions of Poca that he must make a full declaration of his assets and liabilities. 'The application for leave to appeal is wholly unmerited,' ruled Judge Mudau. On Thursday, Smith said he is yet to discuss the way forward with his legal team and has nothing to say at this point. Henry Mamothame, spokesperson for the NPA's Investigative Directorate Against Corruption, said Smith's criminal trial is set down for October at the Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg.
IOL News
3 hours ago
- IOL News
National Convention denies knowledge of challenges as National Dialogue draws fire over transparency
Concerns over National Dialogue grow as major foundations withdraw, National Convention denies knowledge of challenges. Image: GCIS The National Convention says it is unaware of concrete reasons behind a wave of withdrawals from the National Dialogue, even as several prominent foundations pulled out and major political parties condemned the process as impractical and wasteful. This follows several organisations withdrawing their participation due to concerns over transparency, funding, and the intentions, alleging that the government had hijacked the process. Several high-profile foundations, including 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, Spokesperson Rev Zwoitwaho Nevhutalu told IOL that thirty sectors were identified to constitute the first National Convention. 'Our organisers now face a challenge of battling with people who want to come in, but we don't have space anymore, so we are completely oversubscribed.' He rejected claims that the government was taking over the process, insisting the government's role had been to support rather than dominate the negotiations. 'The Legacy foundations raised none of the issues about the government taking over our process,' Nevhutalu said, noting that the Legacy Foundations were part of the preparatory framework that underpins the convention. He argued that the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) provided ongoing advice and that the Preparatory Task Team (PTT) had proposed ways to preserve the convention's quality while expanding citizen participation. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Asked about the withdrawals, he said he was unaware of specific grievances beyond concerns raised about government influence. 'Those who pulled it out were the Democratic Alliance in reaction to the president's firing of one of the deputy ministers. And they started taking it out at the National Convention,' he said. Nevhutalu pointed to the EPG's role in ensuring compliance with laws and processes, and he insisted that the ongoing engagement window remained wide for those who chose to participate. 'There's a big window of opportunity for people to engage… the EPG will engage with those who have dissociated themselves from the National Dialogue,' he said, urging non-participants to reconsider and join 'the dialogue for the nation.' The controversy comes as several high-profile foundations - including 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 — have either expressed reservations or withdrawn entirely from the process. Critics argue that the dialogue risks legitimising a process that could be out of touch with ordinary South Africans. At the same time, the country grapples with a severe cost-of-living crisis, rising unemployment, and diminishing public services. Meanwhile, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and other parties have publicly rejected the National Dialogue. They describe it as 'outrageous and wasteful,' citing an estimated spend of at least R700 million at a time of hardship for many citizens.
The Citizen
4 hours ago
- The Citizen
Calls for Kolisi & Co to ‘save' the National Dialogue, ActionSA claims convention will cost R25 million
The government has been accused of 'hijacking' the National Dialogue, leading to several prominent foundations pulling out. The South African Council of Churches (SACC) have appealed to the Imminent Persons Group (EPG) to unite all South Africans behind the National Dialogue (ND). This comes as a number of political parties have distanced themselves from participating in the first national convention, which begins on Friday. Several legacy foundations, including the Thabo Mbeki Foundation and the Chief Albert Luthuli Foundation, have also pulled out of the organising committee due to concerns over the lack of transparency in funding the National Dialogue and alleged poor planning. The SACC believes that the EPG, which includes Lindiwe Mazibuko, Prof Tinyiko Maluleke, Siya Kolisi and Roelf Meyer, can still save the day and unite the country behind the National Dialogue. 'As the national Church Leaders of the SACC, we fundamentally believe that at this juncture, the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) should provide moral leadership that will unite us all. 'The very formation of the EPG was positioned as being empowered to make sure that in everything related to the National Dialogue, it becomes the face of its leadership, and the voice of reason to speak truth to all actors at all times,' the church leaders said. They also appealed to the EPG to ensure that there is no wastage of public funds during the different phases of the National Dialogue. 'We ask all South Africans to consider the EPG's approaches seriously. 'We urge the EPG to ensure that the funds provided for the process of the National Dialogue will be properly monitored and used for their rightful purpose,' they said. Should they have postponed? The SACC said they also believed that the first national convention should have been postponed to allow more time for better planning and citizen participation. 'The church leaders believe that a postponement of the National Convention would have been a wise route to consider, to create the space required to reflect on the many moving parts of this process and align us on the core needs of the people of South Africa. 'This could allow us all to work together to maximise unity through an inclusive journey from the start,' they said. All systems go for the national convention Meanwhile, one of the organisers of the first convention told The Citizen that delegates to the convention had begun arriving on Thursday afternoon. More than 1 000 people were expected to attend the first national convention at the University of South Africa (Unisa) in Pretoria. 'It is all systems go. Delegates only arrive on Thursday, most in the afternoon. The most important people at the convention will be South African citizens. It is their convention, not based on any social status,' said a spokesperson for the convention, Zwoitwaho Nevhutalu. ActionSA is counting the costs of the first convention While Nevhutalu says any concerns around the conventions budget should be addressed by the Presidency, ActionSA parliamentary leader Athol Trollip told The Citizen that he has learnt that R25 million had been sent to the government's National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) account for this weekend's event. 'I also heard that the proposed budget was R42m, so the question is where is the remaining or missing R17 million,' asked Trollip. He said he has also been informed that this money will be drawn from the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation. 'I'm told the funding comes from the department of monitoring and evaluation, yet, as a member of that portfolio, I have no idea of this appropriation and what opportunity costs there will be, as a result of the redirection of these funds. 'This is precisely why we've sent two senior MPs with a watching/listening brief to the dialogue this weekend,' he said. Trollip accused the ANC of trying to 'hijack' the National Dialogue. 'We won't allow the ANC to hijack this process to shore up their flagging political support and use tax payers' money to fund their 2026 local government election campaign,' he said. Presidency explains money issues In a statement earlier this week, the Presidency said the costs of the first convention were being funded from Nedlac's existing budgets and the Presidency for secretariat support, communications and logistics. 'The provisions in the Appropriation Act and the PFMA will be used to reimburse the Department of Employment and Labour and Nedlac in the adjustments budget later this year,' said the government. According to the Presidency, donations have been received for the National Dialogue digital platform. 'Some goods and services, such as the venue, screens for public viewing, and rail and road transport, are being provided at no cost. The reduced costs associated with the hosting of the National Dialogue, and the funding plan are done to reduce the cost to the fiscus. ALSO READ: Still no confirmation on cost of controversial National Dialogue Will former president Thabo Mbeki show up? Bongani Kupe, a special projects manager at the Thabo Mbeki Foundation, said the legacy foundation who were spearheading the National Dialogue will not attend this weekend's convention. 'We did go and explain [our concerns] to the president. This is not citizen-led; it is now led by the government. It is not inclusive, and there is no thorough preparation for this convention. 'The president said, despite us raising these issues, he wants to go ahead with this,' he said. Drawing up a framework This weekend's convention will come up with a framework of how the National Dialogue will be carried out in communities. At least 30 sectors have been invited. They will represent their constituencies in developing themes and discussion documents for the National Dialogue. A second National Dialogue will be held next year, where a social compact will be produced for consideration by parliament. ALSO READ: 'Bring all to dialogue': Experts insist national dialogue must be people-driven
