5 days ago
Mbeki and other foundations withdraw from National Dialogue preparatory task team
The legacy foundations have withdrawn from the structures of the Preparatory Task Team and the First National Convention of the National Dialogue scheduled for 15 August 2025.
'This is because we believe that core principles meant to underpin the whole National Dialogue have been violated in the rush to host a gathering on 15 August,' reads a statement.
'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 organisations withdrawing are the Thabo Mbeki Foundation, the Steve Biko Foundation, the Chief Albert Luthuli Foundation, the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation, the FW de Klerk Foundation, the Oliver and Adelaide Tambo Foundation and the Strategic Dialogue Group.
'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,' reads the statement.
