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The South African Council of Churches (SACC) has expressed concern over the upcoming National Dialogue Convention, calling for greater transparency, inclusivity, and accountability in the lead-up to the event scheduled for August 15 and 16, 2025.<\/p>\n
In a statement following an emergency meeting of its national church leaders on August 11, the SACC said the gathering was held to reflect on the \u201cdiverse views of the Christian leaders in the SACC and establish a united response to the country\u2019s temperature as relates to the National Dialogue.\u201d<\/p>\n
The intervention from the SACC comes as momentum around the National Dialogue is threatened by a growing number of withdrawals and concerns around the process. <\/p>\n
Several prominent legacy foundations, including the Steve Biko Foundation, Thabo Mbeki Foundation, Chief Albert Luthuli Foundation, Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation, WDB Foundation, Oliver and Adelaide Tambo Foundation, and the Strategic Dialogue Group, announced their withdrawal last Friday. <\/p>\n
ActionSA, AfriForum, the Solidarity union, and the Freedom Front Plus have also pulled out of the National Dialogue, raising further questions about the inclusivity and legitimacy of the process.<\/span><\/p>\n The church leaders believe that postponing the National Convention \u201cwould have been a wise route to consider,\u201d to allow space for reflection and alignment around the core needs of the South African people.<\/p>\n Such a delay, they said, could help to \u201cmaximise unity through an inclusive journey from the start.\u201d<\/p>\n The SACC said in a media statement dated 2 July 2024: \u201cIt is our experience that for such an effort to be successful, it does need to be protected from narrow political interests; and must be seen and experienced as being in the control of the people rather than a few who speak on behalf of others. It must be inclusive of all sectors of society to ensure its legitimacy in the eyes of the people.\u201d<\/p>\n They warned that \u201cthe concerns raised about the readiness to host the National Convention in their totality must be addressed to build confidence in society.\u201d<\/p>\n They said this can only happen through \u201ctransparency, accountability, and adherence to all procurement laws.\u201d<\/p>\n The SACC said the dialogue must be guided by societal ownership and leadership, and that any misdirection of resources \u201cneeds to be clearly spelt out\u201d with \u201cappropriate steps\u201d taken.<\/p>\n Calling on the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) to lead with integrity, the SACC said: \u201cAt this juncture, the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) should provide moral leadership that will unite us all.\u201d<\/p>\n They added that the group was formed \u201cto make sure that in everything related to the National Dialogue, it becomes the face of its leadership, and the voice of reason to speak truth to all actors at all times.\u201d<\/p>\n The SACC acknowledged the latest public commitment from EPG co-chairs, Prof Tinyiko Maluleke and Mr Roelf Meyer, who said: \u201cThe EPG will be reaching out to the foundations and the Presidency to seek solutions to the issues they have raised.<\/p>\n ”The EPG will also be reaching out to the political players who have opted out of the process. Such is the nature of an authentic National Dialogue that the door must remain open for everyone to join the process.\u201d<\/p>\n SACC general secretary Rev Mzwandile Molo said: \u201cWe encourage such efforts as we ask all South Africans to seriously consider the EPG\u2019s approaches. We urge the EPG to ensure that the funds provided for the process of the National Dialogue will be properly monitored and used for their rightful purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cThe SACC National Church Leaders\u2019 commitment to the need for the National Dialogue remains steadfast and unwavering. We do believe it is a historical moment that should not be wasted and undermined by narrow interests that further divide our people.\u201d<\/p>\n The SACC confirmed that it will participate in the National Convention with its \u201cindependent voice in search of an inclusive, transparent and credible process.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe pray for God\u2019s wisdom in these times and may we all serve our people with humility, according to Philippians 2:3-4: \u2018Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Molo noted that National Dialogue \u201cbelongs to all South Africans, from the very start to its very conclusion, and there should be no hindrance to achieving this for ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n hope.ntanzi@iol.co.za<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Politics<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The South African Council of Churches (SACC) has expressed concern over the upcoming National Dialogue Convention, calling for greater transparency, inclusivity, and accountability in the lead-up to the event scheduled for August 15 and 16, 2025. In a statement following an emergency meeting of its national church leaders on August 11, the SACC said the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":249880,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[444,961,11533,4889,19096,12040,9784],"class_list":{"0":"post-249879","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-politics","8":"tag-ahead","9":"tag-calls","10":"tag-dialogue","11":"tag-national","12":"tag-sacc","13":"tag-transparency","14":"tag-unity"},"yoast_head":"\nGet your news on the go, click here to join the News WhatsApp channel.<\/strong><\/h2>\n