By Johnathan Paoli
The Presidency has denied an escalation of tensions between President Cyril Ramaphosa and Thabo Mbeki, insisting they maintain a “cordial, comradely” relationship.
This follows several legacy foundations, including the Thabo Mbeki Foundation, withdrawing from the National Dialogue. Earlier this week, Mbeki’s foundation also dismissed the legitimacy of this weekend’s National Convention, which is meant to frame the upcoming dialogue.
Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya told reporters on Thursday that Ramaphosa harboured no ill will towards Mbeki.
“For President Ramaphosa, the relationship with former president Mbeki is one that is cordial, or rather comradely cordial, as well as professional. With that, the president also recognises and accepts that he’s not above criticism, and that we live in a democracy where there’s free speech and people are welcome to openly criticise him,” Magwenya said.
Mbeki, through his foundation, has been one of the most vocal advocates for a broad, citizen-led National Dialogue to address South Africa’s political, economic and social crises.
The foundation’s withdrawal forms part of a broader dispute involving seven prominent legacy foundations, which have stepped back from the convention and the preparatory task team.
These foundations, including the Steve Biko Foundation, Chief Albert Foundation, Desmond and Leah Tutu Foundation, FW de Klerk Foundation, Oliver and Adelaide Tambo Foundation and the Strategic Dialogue Group, say they remain committed to the idea of a National Dialogue, but object to what they see as insufficient readiness, unclear funding arrangements and a dilution of the process’s independence from government.
In a letter to Makhukhu Mampuru, who is the executive director of the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac), which is co-funding the costs of the convention, Thabo Mbeki Foundation chairperson Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi says the meeting cannot mark the formal kick-off of an inclusive, citizen-led process.
“Concerning your request, we regret to advise you that he (Mbeki) will not attend the said meeting as requested. This is consistent with the decision of the other legacy foundations… The reason for this is simple and straightforward.
“The assertion that the forthcoming meeting at Unisa is the ‘First (National) Convention of the National Dialogue’ is not correct. The forthcoming 15/16 August meeting at Unisa is not the ‘First National Convention of the National Dialogue.’
“All public meetings of the National Dialogue, including its National Conventions, would be convened by the Preparatory Task Team (PTT) of the National Dialogue, which has been operational for the past 13 months. The PTT has not convened the forthcoming 15/16 August 2025 meeting at Unisa and has otherwise had nothing whatsoever to do with it,” it reads.
She argued that attendees would not be able to meaningfully represent constituencies or engage with the depth of challenges facing the country.
Magwenya stressed that the foundations did not represent the majority of South Africans and that nearly 100 civil society organisations and other sectoral groups had already committed to attend.
He said that postponing the convention would have caused “a great deal of inconvenience” to those delegates.
“The president’s expectation is that the foundations will continue to participate in the dialogue process, even if they have stepped back from the preparatory team,” he said.
Magwenya sought to clarify that the convention was not the dialogue itself, but the starting point to define its roadmap.
Over the next nine months, ward-level, sectoral, rural and urban dialogues will be held, culminating in consolidated national outcomes.
While conceding that there might be “teething problems” in a process of this scale, Magwenya insisted its credibility would ultimately depend on broad, sustained participation and not on the presence or absence of specific individuals or organisations at the launch.
The Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on the National Dialogue, chaired by Deputy President Paul Mashatile, has confirmed preparations are on track.
The IMC has called for the dialogue to remain citizen-led and inclusive, urging communities to raise all issues they wish addressed.
Mashatile has been tasked with continuing engagements with the withdrawn foundations to encourage their participation.
Despite their withdrawal, the legacy foundations have reiterated their commitment to the principle of a National Dialogue, pledging to re-engage civil society in pursuit of what they describe as a “generational opportunity to reimagine our country and save it from the abyss”.
Magwenya said the absence of Mbeki and the foundations would not derail the process.
“One would have loved and it would have been great to have the former president there, but if he is not there, he is not there. The reality is the show will go on and South Africans will continue with the dialogue process and hopefully at some point, not only the Thabo Mbeki Foundation, but also other foundations, will find it among themselves to participate in the process,” he said.
With the first convention starting on Friday, the focus will turn to whether the dialogue can generate meaningful proposals and sustain momentum amid divisions over its leadership and structure.
INSIDE POLITICS