2 days ago
Mbeki foundation rejects Unisa meeting, says it's ‘not the first national convention'
Sefa Karacan/Anadolu via Getty Images
Thabo Mbeki joins other legacy foundations in rejecting Unisa's 15-16 August meeting.
The foundation says the recognised Preparatory Task Team did not convene or authorise the event.
Presidency says it is happy with readiness ahead of event
The Thabo Mbeki Foundation has rejected an invitation for former president Thabo Mbeki to attend the 15-16 August meeting at Unisa, dismissing it as neither legitimate nor representative of the National Dialogue process.
In a letter, dated 12 August, to National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) executive director Makhukhu Mampuru, the foundation's chairperson, Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, said their position was 'consistent with the decision of the other legacy foundations', which have also pulled out of the event.
Fraser-Moleketi wrote that the meeting 'is not the 'first national convention of the National Dialogue',' as claimed in the invitation, stressing that such gatherings are convened by the Preparatory Task Team (PTT) of the National Dialogue, which 'has been operational for the past 13 months'.
The PTT has not convened the forthcoming 15-16 August 2025 meeting at Unisa and has otherwise had nothing whatsoever to do with it.
Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi
The foundation also rejected the legitimacy of the organising structures cited in the invitation.
'There is no structure of the National Dialogue programme called the 'convention organising committee of the National Dialogue,'' Fraser-Moleketi wrote, adding that neither was there a group called 'the National Dialogue team'.
She noted that it would be important to identify who served in these groups to determine if they had played any role in organising the National Dialogue over the past 13 months.
The foundation criticised the meeting's representativity, saying delegates could not claim to speak for the constituencies identified by the PTT, which include about 30 sectors such as women, youth, labour, business and faith-based organisations. The PTT, she said, had intended for these sectors to choose their delegates to ensure inclusivity, with provision for simultaneous translation in all official languages.
'With due respect to those who will individuals will have no possibility whatsoever to claim to represent any of the constituencies,' she said, arguing that the meeting would be 'unable to engage meaningfully on the challenges facing our country'.
Fraser-Moleketi called it 'misleading' and 'an unethical effort to mislead the people of SA' to describe the Unisa gathering as the first national convention.
She added: 'It is not clear what the forthcoming meeting at Unisa is intended to achieve… What we know is that it is not intended to proceed in the people-driven manner which the PTT has agreed upon with the very large swath of civil society it has engaged over the last eleven months.'
The foundation said it would 're-engage civil society during this coming week' to continue working towards a truly citizen-led dialogue, underpinned by honesty, truthfulness and freedom from parochial interests.
Government insists preparations are on track
In a statement on Thursday, the presidency said it was happy with the state of readiness of the event, after Deputy President Paul Mashatile convened the National Dialogue Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) to receive a readiness report ahead of the Unisa meeting.
Mashatile, who chairs the IMC, was assured by the Convention Organising Committee chairperson, Boichoko Ditlhake and Nedlac's Mampuru that 'all is on track' for the two-day convention. Premiers and mayors in attendance pledged their support.
The IMC acknowledged the withdrawal of some foundations but asked Mashatile to engage them 'in the process towards this inclusive dialogue'.
It emphasised that the budgetary processes for the event complied with the Public Finance Management Act. The costs were covered from Nedlac and the presidency's existing budgets for secretariat support, communications and logistics. Unisa was providing venues and services, including plenary and breakaway rooms, livestreaming, catering and conference materials, at no cost.
The IMC emphasised the importance of the First National Convention and the National Dialogue being citizen-led and fully inclusive.
Presidency
The presidency added a call on communities 'to raise all issues so that they can be addressed and attended to accordingly'.
Mashatile affirmed government's commitment to supporting the convention as 'a kick-start to the citizen-led and inclusive National Dialogue', while noting that the budget would rely on in-kind contributions, donations and other mobilisable resources.
