Stalwarts Foundation Forum rallies for National Convention amid exodus drama
Legacy foundations cited government control and rushed planning, and Afrikaner advocacy organisations and political parties announced a boycott.
The forum has urged honest, inclusive dialogues aligned with Batho Pele principles.
Amid the mounting withdrawal of foundations and political parties from the National Convention and National Dialogue, the Stalwarts Foundations Forum has stepped forward in full support of the initiative.
The forum, representing the Charlotte Mannya-Maxeke Institute, and the Duma Nokwe, Moses Kotane, Saul Msane, Lilian Ngoyi, Ronnie Mamoepa, Baleka Mbete, June and Andrew Mlangeni Foundations, as well as the Trevor Huddleston Memorial Centre, admitted on Tuesday that the government and its leaders had lost touch with reality.
As several crises continue to plague communities, they said: 'We owe it to ourselves - and future generations - to get this initiative right. At the end of the day, we must be able to say with one voice: 'We, the people, can lead together.''
The forum's support comes amid growing rejection and squabbles about the National Convention, which is set for Friday and Saturday at Unisa in Pretoria.
Headlined by President Cyril Ramaphosa, it will bring together 1 000 delegates from several industries and sectors to kick off and lay the groundwork for the National Dialogue, which is expected to start in September.
This week, notable Afrikaner advocacy groups, including the Solidarity Movement, AfriForum, and Solidarity, announced their boycott of the National Dialogue.
They alleged that the initiative had been 'hijacked' by the ANC and, in a joint statement on Tuesday, said they would not participate.
The institutions also supported legacy foundation organisations, such as the Thabo Mbeki Foundation, which made the same decision.
Last week, News24 reported on legacy foundations, including the Thabo Mbeki, Desmond and Leah Tutu, Steve Biko, and FW de Klerk foundations' withdrawal from the National Dialogue's preparatory task team (PTT) and the National Convention.
The foundations cited government control and rushed planning, and called for the convention's postponement.
The PTT is responsible for organising the convention and preparing for the public dialogues that will take place afterwards.
On Monday, Boichoko Ditlhake, chairperson of the convention's organising committee, told the media the withdrawal of some foundations would have no impact on the convention.
Previously, the DA previously withdrew from the National Dialogue after Ramaphosa axed Andrew Whitfield as the Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry, and Competition.
News24 reported on Tuesday that the FF Plus had also announced that it would not participate in the National Convention.
On Wednesday, ActionSA MP Athol Trollip announced that his party would not send a formal delegation from its national leadership. Instead, the party plans to deploy two senior MPs on an observation brief. They will monitor the convention over the weekend.
He said: 'ActionSA remains unconvinced that any of the concerns raised by key stakeholders, organisers and the broader public have been addressed. There is an insistence on forging ahead despite serious, unresolved questions, particularly regarding the lawful appropriation of the Budget, a matter on which no parliamentary committee has been duly engaged. Consequently, ActionSA will not participate in or lend legitimacy to a process under these circumstances.'
Meanwhile, the Stalwarts Foundations Forum, which was established two years ago, said foundations should remember that they carry the names of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. It noted that there was resistance to the convention and the talks.
'We must recognise that we, too, may hold different opinions about how to move forward as a country. But this clarion call for National Dialogues may well be the right starting point for building lasting solutions for South Africa.
'The forum of stalwarts foundations will participate in the upcoming National Convention as a step towards preparing and launching the citizens-led National Dialogues.'
They also called for Batho Pele principles to be revisited and placed at the heart of the engagements, as well as for an inclusive approach with civic organisations to be placed at the forefront.
They said:
The dialogue engagements should be brutally honest, not scripted or 'managed' narratives. There should be a ground-up approach – giving ordinary South Africans the freedom to express themselves openly. There should be recognition that lived experiences carry as much weight as research findings.
Government representatives should also make a renewed effort to truly listen to the people and ensure transparency, accountability, and a commitment to lasting solutions.
The discussions should also be a genuinely citizen-led process that paves the way for a united and prosperous South Africa.
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