Africa-Press – South-Africa. Former president Thabo Mbeki has declined an invitation to attend the first convention to the national dialogue.
This emerged in a letter, seen by TimesLIVE Premium, written by chairperson of the Mbeki Foundation Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi dated August 12 and addressed to Nedlac executive director Makhukhu Mampuru.
“Concerning your request, we regret to advise he [Mbeki] will not attend the meeting as requested. This is consistent with the decision of the other legacy foundations which is now a matter of public knowledge. The reason for this is simple and straightforward.”
She said the assertion that the weekend national dialogue convention scheduled to take place at Unisa is the first convention was not correct. All public meetings of the national dialogue, including its national conventions would be convened by the preparatory task team (PTT), which has been operational for the past 13 months.
“The PTT has not convened the forthcoming meeting at Unisa and has otherwise had nothing to do with it. Further, there is no structure of the national dialogue programme called the ‘convention organising committee of the national dialogue’, the conveners of the forthcoming meeting at Unisa.
“Neither is there a national dialogue group called ‘the national dialogue team. It would help to identify the people who serve in these groups to at least establish how many of them, if any, have been involved in the efforts to organise the national dialogue during the past 13 months or so.”
The national dialogue was part of an agreement by parties who formed the government of national unity. Considered Mbeki’s brainchild, the process has revealed strained relations between Mbeki and President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The legacy foundations pulled out of the dialogue this week after Ramaphosa refused their call for a postponement.
At least 800 delegates are expected to participate in the dialogue scheduled for August 15 at Unisa’s main campus in Pretoria, with eminent people from different groups expected to lead discussions.
“We must also mention an important point about the planned delegations to the future first national convention of the national dialogue,” said Fraser-Moleketi.
“As you know, the PTT has identified plus or minus 30 sectors/constituencies that will be invited to attend the first national convention. Each of these will meet on its own to select the specified number of allocated delegates, 100 for example, bearing in mind the inalienable requirement to ensure the delegation is inclusive of the particular constituency.
“Considering that the national convention will therefore be inclusive and representative of the people of South Africa, the PTT has proposed that the first national convention will make provision for simultaneous translation in all the official languages.
“With due respect to those who will attend the forthcoming meeting at Unisa, these individuals will have no possibility to claim to represent any of the constituencies to which we have referred and will be unable to engage meaningfully on the challenges facing our country.”
She added that it was for this reason the meeting could not mark the formal start of an inclusive, citizen-led process to chart a shared vision for South Africa’s future.
The foundations will continue to pursue “the noble and historic objective” of helping to encourage the holding of the national dialogue. The foundations will re-engage civil society next week to honour this commitment, which is a generational opportunity to reimagine the country and save it from the abyss, she said.
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