By Johnathan Paoli
Former President Thabo Mbeki has criticized the DA’s withdrawal from the upcoming National Dialogue, calling it “misplaced and very strange indeed.”
Mbeki expressed his concerns in an 11-page open letter addressed to DA Federal leader John Steenhuisen.
In the letter, Mbeki challenges the DA’s rationale, accusing its leadership of political inconsistency.
He outlines the structure, goals, and legitimacy of the Dialogue in detail, responding directly to the party’s decision not to participate in the scheduled National Dialogue starting on August 15, 2025.
“I have no doubt that the DA acts against its own direct interests when it decides to isolate itself from this sovereign authority of the people when the latter decides to engage in a National Dialogue to determine our country’s future,” Mbeki wrote.
The DA’s withdrawal, announced by John Steenhuisen following the dismissal of DA member Andrew Whitfield as Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, was based on what the party called President Cyril Ramaphosa’s “double standards.”
Steenhuisen described the dismissal as “excessive” and accused Ramaphosa of protecting ANC ministers implicated in corruption, arguing that such selective accountability undermined any chance of a meaningful Dialogue.
Escalating the dispute, DA Federal Chair Helen Zille claimed in a television interview that the National Dialogue was merely a front for the ANC’s 2026 election campaign.
She declared that without the DA’s involvement, the process would be “a sham” and “a hollow exercise.”
But in his letter, Mbeki counters that a genuinely people-driven National Dialogue is in the DA’s direct interest.
He highlights a central contradiction in the party’s position: while the DA remains a key participant in the Government of National Unity (GNU), it refuses to engage in the very platform designed to address the country’s systemic challenges.
“I would have found it logical if you and the DA had decided to withdraw from the GNU. I consider the decision… not to participate in the National Dialogue as both misplaced and… against [your] own interests,” Mbeki wrote.
Tracing the Dialogue’s origin, Mbeki refers to his 30 April 2024 address at Freedom Park where he proposed a new, inclusive National Dialogue in response to South Africa’s deepening crisis.
He had consulted national foundations beforehand, and following his address, Ramaphosa publicly endorsed the idea.
Mbeki then recounts the formation of the National Foundations Dialogue Initiative (NFDI) in 2016 by nine prominent foundations, including those of Robert Sobukwe, FW de Klerk, Helen Suzman, Chief Albert Luthuli, and his own, with a goal of facilitating nationwide conversations about South Africa’s political and social direction.
Though the Helen Suzman Foundation later withdrew from this collective, others joined, such as the Steve Biko, Ahmed Kathrada, and Andrew Mlangeni foundations.
These foundations held a press conference on 27 June 2024 calling for an “urgent, inclusive, citizen-led, national intervention” to reclaim the democratic project and reshape the country’s future.
This moment marked the beginning of formal National Dialogue preparations.
Mbeki clarifies that, contrary to Zille’s claims, the Dialogue is not an ANC-run initiative.
In fact, when the ANC NEC proposed placing a Dialogue secretariat in the Presidency, Mbeki and others advised against it, citing civil society’s refusal to participate in any process controlled by government or the GNU.
The Preparatory Task Team (PTT), composed of representatives from national foundations, NEDLAC, and four Presidency officials, is currently leading preparations.
Its work has included nine months of negotiations with the Presidency, coordination with over 50 organisations, and development of the Dialogue framework.
“This is the body responsible for all the preparations for the National Dialogue. It will cease to exist after handing over to the National Convention on 15 August,” Mbeki explains.
Participation will be structured by “constituencies,” which will include youth, women, labour, business, political parties, faith communities, the judiciary, academia, artists, traditional leaders, and more.
Each constituency will select its own inclusive delegation and contribute to setting the agenda.
A Steering Committee elected by Convention delegates will take over leadership from the PTT to guide the Dialogue forward. Discussion papers and a draft agenda will be circulated to help participants prepare, and translation will be available in all official languages.
Mbeki stressed that the Dialogue process will extend beyond the Convention, including grassroots consultations down to the voting district level.
These consultations will inform the Convention’s final recommendations when it reconvenes.
An Eminent Persons Group appointed by Ramaphosa will act as ambassadors of the Dialogue, and a newly established Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) will handle any urgent proposals emerging from the Convention.
Mbeki concludes his letter by expressing confidence in the National Dialogue’s transformative potential and condemning the DA’s decision to boycott it.
“This will be the very first time in our country that the people will engage one another in a detailed and comprehensive conversation in exercise of their right to self-determination.”
He challenges Zille’s assertion that the Dialogue is meaningless without the DA, calling it “arrogant and contemptuous” toward ordinary South Africans.
With the National Dialogue set to begin in just over a month, Mbeki’s letter lays down a public gauntlet to the DA: return to the table or risk alienating itself from a democratic process that could reshape the future of the nation.
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