Africa-Press – South-Africa. Well-renowned professor, William Gumede, has been appointed to independently chair a national convention later this month where six parties will explore a pact with the aim of removing the ANC from power in next year’s general elections.
The six parties – the DA, IFP, FF Plus, ActionSA, UIM and SNP – made the announcement on Thursday.
The national convention is expected to be held on 16 and 17 August in Kempton Park.
The parties said they picked Gumede because he has no political affiliations.
An associate professor at Wits University’s School of Governance, Gumede authored what is regarded as one of the most insightful books about former president Thabo Mbeki and the ANC in the mid-2000s, titled Thabo Mbeki and the Battle for the Soul of the ANC.
He heads a course on public policy and economics, which includes how to put together a national budget for MPs across the political spectrum.
Gumede has advised governments in the mediation processes of warring countries and was the facilitator in the healing process in the aftermath of the Marikana massacre.
The parties said they understood the need for the talks to gain from the wisdom and experience that exists in South Africa, which is “too often ignored by political leaders who falsely believe they have a monopoly on solutions needed”.
In a statement on Thursday, the parties said:
Gumede will run the process, together with Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration (CCMA) chief executive Nerine Kahn, Germany-based Trier Institute for Democracy, and Party Research director Professor Uwe Jun, and experienced journalist Zamayirha Peter.
The parties said Gumede had already begun chairing weekly meetings of the six parties in their effort to establish a multiparty agreement in two weeks.
“These meetings enable parties to engage around the agenda for the convention and to build greater consensus ahead of the convention,” the parties said in a joint statement.
“Already, these engagements are benefitting from the experience and wisdom that Professor Gumede and his team have brought to the table.
“This agreement must lay the foundation for a new multiparty government in 2024 that can start the work of moving our country forward again,” they said.
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