3 days ago
AfriForum, Solidarity withdraw from national dialogue first convention
'In addition, agreements that were reached have often been broken shortly thereafter by the ANC, only for them to stumble along alone in its socialist dead-end street, dragging the country with it.'
The group said it would adopt a 'wait and see' approach to the national dialogue while engaging with cultural communities to address the country's issues.
'We are too busy trying to address the consequences of failed ANC policies, and do not have the time to listen to their outdated blame politics and a repetition of unimaginative ideas for weeks and months on end.
'Our experience is that 'community dialogues' can bear more fruit than a state dialogue, and discussions between communities yield more practical results. That is why we plan, in co-operation with other cultural communities, to submit a position on the country's pressing issues to the national dialogue, but we will not participate on Friday.'
Solidarity CEO Dirk Hermann said the ANC wants to pursue its own agendas with the dialogue that has been happening in communities.
'People talk at workplaces, around the braai, at sporting events and in churches about a yearning for a different dispensation. The state hears this and wants to hijack that spontaneous community dialogue.
'It was conceived in the Union Buildings by the president. The moment that happened, the national dialogue was stillborn.'
