Latest news with #legacyfoundations
News24
a day ago
- Politics
- News24
National Convention snub by foundations, Mbeki seen as boycotting ‘people of SA', not govt
Former president Thabo Mbeki and seven legacy foundations opted not to attend South Africa's National Convention, citing dissatisfaction with organisers. Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya asserted this didn't undermine the event's credibility, emphasising its inclusivity with nearly 1 000 confirmed attendees. The convention aims to foster national dialogue, representing diverse South African communities, notwithstanding the notable absences. The departure of seven legacy foundations and former president Thabo Mbeki from the National Convention has not undermined the legitimacy of this weekend's gathering. This was the sentiment from President Cyril Ramaphosa, through his spokesperson Vincent Magwenya, in response to the latest confirmation that Mbeki had penned a letter confirming he would not attend the National Convention. Magwenya, at a press briefing at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Thursday, said those who were staying away from the gathering must not be mistaken to think they are boycotting Ramaphosa or the government, but they were boycotting the people of South Africa. 'With all due respect, these foundations do not represent the majority of South Africa. They were never set up to be constituency groups, as far as we understand them, unless that has changed,' Magwenya said. He said the credibility of the dialogue, which has been called into question amid the mass exit by legacy foundations, is not a once-off exercise between Friday and Saturday. 'The credibility of the national dialogue is going to be the level of participation across communities and what's going to come out of that process as outcomes. And that credibility cannot be determined by one person, neither can it be determined by seven organisations or foundations. 'South Africa is much bigger than any one individual or any other foundations. 'It would have been great to have the former president there, but if he's not there, he's not there,' Magwenya said. He said the show would go on. 'And Africans will continue with the dialogue process and hopefully at some point, not only the Thabo Mbeki Foundation, but other foundations will find it among themselves to participate in the process and realise that there is no benefit out of boycotting the people of South Africa. WATCH LIVE | President's spokesperson Vincent Magwenya updates the public on the President's programme. #GovZAUpdates — South African Government (@GovernmentZA) August 14, 2025 'They are not boycotting the president, they're not boycotting government, they are boycotting the people of South Africa in their exercise through this national dialogue and this national dialogue does not belong to the president, nor does it belong to government. 'It belongs to all South Africans and therefore those who choose not to participate are not in any shape or form disadvantaging the president or government, for that matter,' Magwenya said. The National Convention, being held at Unisa (Muckleneuk Campus), where Mbeki serves as chancellor, is viewed as a pivotal gathering to lay the foundation for the National Dialogue. News24 reported on Thursday that Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, chairperson of the Thabo Mbeki Foundation, had penned a letter and addressed it to the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) executive director, Makhukhu Mampuru. Fraser-Moleketi confirmed correspondence inviting Mbeki to attend the event before declining. It is worth noting that the tone of the letter appeared to undermine the sitting, with her referring to the organisers as the 'so-called National Dialogue team and the convention organising committee of the National Dialogue'. Magwenya said close to 1 000 delegates had confirmed attendance and this means that the convention would be inclusive. 'The convention will be representative of all sectors of our society through the different formations and groups that have accepted invitations to attend, the organising team has taken a great deal of care to ensure that all sectors of our society will be represented tomorrow (Friday) at the national convention,' Magwenya said.
News24
2 days ago
- Politics
- News24
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.
