Seven prominent legacy foundations on Friday proposed that the first National Convention, scheduled to be held from August 15 to 17, be postponed, to allow for adequate preparation, coherence and participatory integrity.

The foundations announced their withdrawal from the structures of the National Dialogue Preparatory Task Team and the related first National Convention, citing violations of the dialogue’s core principles.

President Cyril Ramaphosa explained that given challenges facing the country, there was broad agreement on the need to convene a National Dialogue.

The Steve Biko Foundation; Thabo Mbeki Foundation; Chief Albert Luthuli Foundation; Desmond and Leah Tutu Foundation; FW de Klerk Foundation; Oliver and Adelaide Tambo Foundation and the Strategic Dialogue Group noted a loss of meaningful platform for the dialogue.

“The rushed timeline, constrained logistics, and limited interactive design mean that the proposed Convention no longer offers a meaningful platform for engagement,” the foundations said in a joint statement on Friday.

The foundations warned that the Dialogue risked becoming symbolic rather than substantive.

“We cannot lend our names to a gathering that does not allow for genuine dialogue. Furthermore, the National Convention was envisaged as a kick-off event for the real heart of the National Dialogue - community, sectoral, and citizen-led engagement,” foundations said.

The first Convention will take place at the ZK Matthews Hall, at the University of South Africa, in Pretoria.

There have been concerns around the dialogue, with claims that the African National Congress will use it as an electioneering platform, as well as concerns around the dialogue’s reported R750-million budget and possible instances of corruption.

The foundations called the Convention “premature”, arguing that there was no agreed upon plan for the Dialogue's roll out.

The foundations said their withdrawal was not out of “apathy or disengagement”, stressing the need for the Dialogue to be “credible, principled and anchored in public trust”.

They also cited the erosion of citizen leadership and a lack of financial and operational infrastructure, stating that the absence of a confirmed approved budget allocation and a last-minute commitment of initial funds had made preparation impossible.

“This raises real risks of a poorly organised and unaccountable process. The push to proceed has created pressure to engage in emergency procurement, which may violate the Public Finance Management Act.

“The lack of resourcing has affected the logistical readiness for the Convention, but even more so the possibility of it being a substantive and meaningful engagement. Without programmatic operations, communications and other critical capacity the event will not be a credible launchpad for a truly transformative process for South Africans,” the foundations stated.

They said they were unwilling to be part of a process that “undermined” the principles, governance and accountability of a Dialogue meant to strengthen.

The foundations also noted deep disagreements within the Preparatory Task Team over the nature of the Dialogue, readiness, governance, and risk, highlighting that a lack of shared clarity and alignment would destabilise the effort.

Last month, former President Thabo Mbeki had sharply criticised Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen over his party’s decision to withdraw from the National Dialogue, calling the move “misplaced” and “very strange indeed”.

The DA made the decision to withdraw from the National Dialogue following Ramaphosa’s decision to remove DA Deputy Minister Andrew Whitfield from his position.

In an open letter addressed to Steenhuisen, Mbeki accused the party of undermining an inclusive, citizen-led initiative that intends to create a new national consensus.

He argued that the DA’s continued participation in the Government of National Unity (GNU), while refusing to engage in the Dialogue meant to shape the country’s political future, represented a contradictory and ill-considered stance.

The foundations stressed that their withdrawal from the Preparatory Task Team and the Convention did not mean they had withdrawn from the National Dialogue project.

“We will continue to champion the core principles at the heart of the National Dialogue: that it is citizen-led and is committed to the fundamental transformation of South Africa for the benefit of all its people. To the extent that the National Dialogue meets these principles, we will continue to be supporters and participants,” they said.