Former leaders and foundations must step back, say experts, urging citizens to take control of South Africa’s National Dialogue.
The National Dialogue is in the wrong hands and should not be led by President Cyril Ramaphosa, former president Thabo Mbeki or the legacy foundations, according to two experts.
Rather, they should all back off because it’s time for ordinary citizens to take control and be heard.
It was time for the VIPs to take a back seat and let the people speak.
Time for VIPs to take a back seat in National Dialogue
Prof Lesiba Teffo and Dr Levy Ndou say the current stayaway by seven legacy foundations and leading political parties will open space for civil society and grassroots people to take over the process.
They said the state should just provide resources, such as logistics and funding, and take a back seat to let people talk among themselves about the kind of South Africa they want.
Teffo said the country is facing so many crises because leaders across the board have failed the country.
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There is poverty, landlessness, immigration chaos, crime, unemployment and no economic growth.
The policies they jointly approved in the pre-1994 talks are directly responsible for the current state of the country, he said.
Teffo said the current immigration and land crises were due to the failure to address the issues at the multiparty constitutional talks at the Convention for a Democratic South Africa.
Leaders came with no solution for SA’s problems
“We are in this because of these leaders, some of them were presidents, but they came with no solution for the country’s problems.
“Now they want to sit at the front table and tell us that they have a solution,” Teffo said.
Politicians must open up the space for ordinary people and civil society to lead the process.
According to Teffo, the National Dialogue should be facilitated by external individuals with no vested interest in the issue.
Also, there were many local experts who could play a role and do a better job, so the process is not mired in the political battles of the elite, as it was turning out to be at the moment.
The Thabo Mbeki, FW de Klerk, Desmond and Leah Tutu, Steve Biko, Albert Luthuli, Oliver and Adelaide Tambo foundations have pulled out of the dialogue, citing rushed processes and exclusion of citizens.
Foundations and parties pulled out
Parties within the government of national unity have also boycotted the dialogue, leaving Ramaphosa to handle the issue with his backers and a few civil society organisations.
It is not clear where the Nelson Mandela and the Ahmed Kathrada Foundations stand on the issue.
Neither have publicly stated whether they will participate or not in the dialogue, despite fellow struggle stalwarts’ foundations staying clear of the process.
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Ndou said the National Dialogue is supposed to be people-driven, not top town.
“The people who have pulled out are the people who have had an opportunity to lead and we have heard them. But now it is time to hear ordinary citizens.
“It could be a blessing in disguise. Maybe the voice that is unknown could have been suppressed,” Ndou said.
Dialogue should be people-driven
“I don’t think that we need to be led by people that we know or for the National Dialogue to be blessed by people that are known.”
Ndou said that as it was the first such forum that involved ordinary people, it could not be expected to be the best executed.
“Therefore, we should take advantage of the fact that the government has given it the go-ahead and assisted in providing logistics, but their role is just to listen and not to lead,” Ndou said.
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