Concerns about National Dialogue must not be ignored, warns expert

Legal and Governance Analyst, Leo Maphosa, says the withdrawal of prominent foundations from the National Dialogue Convention is both symbolic and substantive.

Earlier today, several leading South African foundations, including the FW de Klerk, Steve Biko, and Thabo Mbeki Foundations, announced their withdrawal from next week’s event.

They argue that the process has shifted from its original citizen-led purpose to become government-controlled, rushed, and underfunded.

The foundations have requested a postponement until after 15 October but remain committed to fostering a genuine and inclusive dialogue.

Maphosa says this move cannot be ignored, as these foundations represent significant moral, historical, and intellectual traditions in the country.

“Their collective decision to step back sends a clear signal that the dialogue in its current form, at least, has lost the confidence of some of its most credible voices. When South Africa’s moral heavyweights walk away, it’s not noise, it’s a warning.”

Speaking to YNews, Maphosa also notes that while it’s crucial to heed influential moral voices, it’s important to recognize that these foundations carry inherent ideological biases.

 

He does, however, highlight that this situation exposes a persistent flaw in South African governance: the tendency to confuse genuine national interest with political self-interest.

“Whilst the process begins to carry the fingerprints of those in power, rather than the broad fingerprints of the nation, it risks becoming a managed conversation, not a genuine exchange. That fuels suspicion that the government seeks not only to host a dialogue, but to steer towards predetermined narratives. A dialogue designed to find answers cannot start with the answers already written.”

 

President Cyril Ramaphosa has reacted to the announcement, saying the convention will go ahead as planned.

The first Convention of the National Dialogue will go ahead on the 15 August 2025 as planned. The Foundations have committed to remain a part of the dialogue and I have instructed that we be well prepared for the upcoming Convention and that all South Africans are afforded the… pic.twitter.com/orbIYfBvIz

— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) August 8, 2025

The group’s decision comes just a few months after the DA pulled out entirely, calling it wasteful and illegitimate.

The MK Party and EFF slammed it as artificial and disconnected from real challenges.