Some delegates deem National Convention a success

PRETORIA - With the final day of the first leg of the national convention nearing a close, some delegates have described the gathering as a success.

Held at the University of South Africa (UNISA)’s main campus in Pretoria, the convention marks the start of South Africa’s National Dialogue, a process aimed at giving communities a direct say in solutions to the country’s challenges.

The meeting brought together civil society, political parties, community organisations and prominent leaders to lay the groundwork for the months ahead.

Over two days, representatives from civil society organisations, including groups fighting gender-based violence and the National Council for the Blind, sat alongside community leaders and prominent figures to map the way forward.

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Former politician Lindiwe Mazibuko, now part of the eminent persons group overseeing the national dialogue, said this weekend has been a success.

“Of course, it's not going to be perfect. It’s imperfect. Dialogue is always imperfect because it always makes us uncomfortable. And that's a signal that we're having the right conversations, that we're not just kind of talking to each other. Platitudes, you know, keeping it smooth and varnished instead of getting down to the real issues at hand,” she said

But the convention also faced some hurdles during its first leg, with delegates raising concerns about accreditation glitches, typo-filled presentation slides and a venue criticised as inaccessible for people living with disabilities.

Before the convention kicked off, several legacy foundations walked out of the plenary, highlighting faults that still need to be resolved.

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