Latest news with #LindiweMazibuko
The Citizen
4 hours ago
- Politics
- The Citizen
National Dialogue will be in the hands of South Africans
The National Dialogue will take place within communities before the next national convention, Despite concerns that the National Dialogue has been 'hijacked' by the ANC and government, Lindiwe Mazibuko, who is a member of the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) has reassured South Africans that the process is citizen-led. Mazibuko delivered the closing address at the end of the first national convention in Pretoria on Saturday. The convention brought members of different sectors together with other stakeholders to discuss the framework of the dialogue process in communities. 'From the outset, we established that citizens will drive this dialogue grounded in our President's commitment to unity. This dialogue is owned by the people,' she said. Tough times ahead for the country Mazibuko said the process of national engagement will not be easy, but she said the EPG will be there to ensure the success of the National Dialogue. Her comments also come as several political parties and legacy foundations have distanced themselves from the dialogue, citing transparency and time frame issues. 'The road ahead will not be easy, our obstacles are deep-rooted and complex, we will have setbacks and we will have disagreements, there may be moments where despair seems more appealing than hope. 'The imminent persons group, which I am proud to be part of, is committed to walking this path with you. 'We will not waiver or abandon our efforts. This dialogue is for the people, and it belongs to you,' she said. ALSO READ: Calls for Kolisi & Co to 'save' the National Dialogue, ActionSA claims convention will cost R25 million Why have a National Dialogue? She said the dialogue will help shape the future of South Africa for the next 30 years. 'Together we will create a shared vision for the next 30 years. We are here because South Africans want real action jobs and livelihoods, safety from crime and corruption, a functioning education system, a state that embodies integrity, a culture of values and social cohesion, tangible progress in addressing violence against women and girls,' she said. When will the dialogue kick off? Despite Mazibuko's closing remarks, there are some who believe that the convention did not achieve its intended purpose because of the rushed nature of events. The convention had also failed to constitute a steering committee during the two days of the convention. Meanwhile, the EPG has been called upon to ensure that all finances related to the dialogue are spent in accordance with government regulations, which guide the spending of public money. NOW READ: National Dialogue: ANC talking to an empty room, but it must listen
Eyewitness News
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
Some delegates deem National Convention a success
PRETORIA - With the final day of the first leg of the national convention nearing a close, some delegates have described the gathering as a success. Held at the University of South Africa (UNISA)'s main campus in Pretoria, the convention marks the start of South Africa's National Dialogue, a process aimed at giving communities a direct say in solutions to the country's challenges. The meeting brought together civil society, political parties, community organisations and prominent leaders to lay the groundwork for the months ahead. Over two days, representatives from civil society organisations, including groups fighting gender-based violence and the National Council for the Blind, sat alongside community leaders and prominent figures to map the way forward. ALSO READ: Convention before the much-anticipated, controversial National Dialogue gets salty Former politician Lindiwe Mazibuko, now part of the eminent persons group overseeing the national dialogue, said this weekend has been a success. 'Of course, it's not going to be perfect. It's imperfect. Dialogue is always imperfect because it always makes us uncomfortable. And that's a signal that we're having the right conversations, that we're not just kind of talking to each other. Platitudes, you know, keeping it smooth and varnished instead of getting down to the real issues at hand,' she said But the convention also faced some hurdles during its first leg, with delegates raising concerns about accreditation glitches, typo-filled presentation slides and a venue criticised as inaccessible for people living with disabilities. Before the convention kicked off, several legacy foundations walked out of the plenary, highlighting faults that still need to be resolved. ALSO READ: National Dialogue: Legacy foundations say it wasn't a knee-jerk reaction to withdraw
The Citizen
2 days ago
- Politics
- 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
IOL News
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Lindiwe Mazibuko delights in Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter Tour in London
Lindiwe Mazibuko, former leader of the opposition in SA's Parliament, having a blast at Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter Tour in London. Image: Instagram 'Just for fun.' These are the words of Lindiwe Mazibuko, the former leader of the opposition in the South African Parliament, as she shares her delightful adventure in London. Mazibuko took to Instagram to give Mzansi a glimpse into her musical journey attending Beyoncé's 'Cowboy Carter Tour' in The Big Smoke. In her photos, Mazibuko radiates joy as she enjoys the concert alongside friends and fellow Ms Carter fans. She also savoured drinks with friends at The Connaught, renowned for serving the best martinis in town, where a night's stay costs R57,000. 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 Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Beyoncé's tour, officially titled the Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin' Circuit Tour, marks Beyoncé's tenth concert tour and supports her eighth studio album, Cowboy Carter (2024). The concert series kicked off on Thursday, June 5 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the singer already has four performances in the tour under her belt. She is scheduled to perform two more shows at the stadium on Saturday, June 14 and Monday, June 16. Tickets for Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter Tour range from approximately £61 to £950 (R1,500 to R23,200). However, some prices have been reduced, with fan presale tickets now available for as low as £141.60 (R3,460).
