Former president Thabo Mbeki has detailed why several prominent foundations withdrew from supporting South Africa’s planned national dialogue, citing a loss of credibility and concerns over the process being hijacked.
Speaking at an event at UNISA, Mbeki explained that the dialogue was originally conceived as a non-partisan, citizen-led platform to address the country’s deep-seated social and economic challenges. He had approached several legacy organisations, including the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the Steve Biko Foundation, to lead the initiative, which they agreed to do.
However, Max Boqwana, CEO of the Thabo Mbeki Foundation, stated the process veered off course. After successfully defending against a false court accusation that the group was trying to access government funds for the ANC, a new group emerged and attempted to take over. This group allegedly insisted on holding a national convention at UNISA within just eight days and claimed to have immediate access to large sums of money.
Boqwana said this was exactly the kind of activity they had been falsely accused of, and the original task team could not remain involved in a process they felt had become “compromised.” He emphasized that their planned dialogue was meant to be a serious, well-researched effort involving 30 societal sectors, not a rushed event.
When attempts to delay the process and rebuild credibility failed, the foundations collectively informed the Presidency of their withdrawal. A youth representative on the task team stated bluntly that the dialogue had been “hijacked.”
Despite pulling out of the current process, the foundations confirmed they are not abandoning the project. They are now in talks with the Eminent Persons Group appointed by the president to rebuild confidence and chart a credible path forward for a genuine national dialogue. Boqwana concluded that such a dialogue may be essential to save the country from its current challenges.