National Convention withdrawals a missed opportunity - analyst
A political analyst believes the organisations that withdrew
from the National Convention missed a great opportunity.
The convention is aimed at setting the agenda for the National Dialogue that will take place across the country in the coming months.
The second day of the event is underway on Saturday at the University of South Africa main campus in Pretoria.
Last week, several legacy foundations, including the Thabo Mbeki Foundation, decided to boycott it, arguing that the process was not inclusive.
READ: National Convention invitations 'sent to celebs, not indigenous people’
Political parties including the Democratic Alliance, Freedom Front Plus and ActionSA also pulled out this week.
Oscar Van Heerden, a political expert from the University of Johannesburg, believes those who withdrew from the convention shouldn’t have done so.
"The whole point about it being citizen led, I think that it is a missed opportunity on the part of some of the stakeholders. Notably the foundations and some of the opposition parties because this was the opportunity to come and influence the process and say it needs to change here and there so that it is indeed going to be more citizen led. Unfortunately, they did not see it that way," said Van Heerden.
On Friday, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a citizen-led steering committee would guide the National Dialogue with government only offering logistical and limited financial support.
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