Gwede Mantashe Criticizes Parties Withdrawing from National Dialogue at UNISA

Gwede Mantashe Criticizes Parties Withdrawing from National Dialogue at UNISA

The first National Convention of the National Dialogue gets underway today at UNISA’s main campus in Pretoria and continues tomorrow. This gathering aims to bring South Africans together to discuss pressing national issues, with a follow-up convention scheduled for early 2026 to assess outcomes.

Speaking to SABC News, Gwede Mantashe, Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources and senior African National Congress (ANC) leader, addressed concerns over the withdrawal of some parties from the dialogue. He emphasized that no single individual or organization “owns” the national dialogue, which is designed to facilitate genuine conversations among South Africans.

Mantashe noted that legitimacy for the convention is not predetermined but will be earned through active participation by civil society organizations and grassroots representatives. He suggested that those who withdrew from the process did so because they sought to control it, rather than contribute to a collective national conversation.

Responding to claims that the initiative could be hijacked for political gain, Mantashe asserted that the dialogue is intended solely to foster open discussions among South Africans. “We must go and have South Africans talking to one another, and people who want to be part of a conversation come to the conversation,” he said.

The convention’s program officially began as Mantashe and other delegates entered the main auditorium, setting the stage for two days of discussion aimed at shaping the future of the National Dialogue.