On FRIDAY , Seven prominent legacy foundations  proposed that the first National Convention, scheduled to be held next weekend from the 15th to the 17 of August , must BE postponed. 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 withdrew their participation citing that core principles meant to underpin the whole National Dialogue have been violated in the rush to host the gathering. They added that the National Dialogue must be credible, principled, and anchored in public trust. The decision has cast a dark cloud on the much anticipated dialogue. Meanwhile , President Cyril Ramaphosa says there's nothing to worry about and that there's nothing political or untoward about the decision. 

To unpack this further Bongiwe Zwane spoke to Prof. Bheki Mngomezulu, Director of the Centre for the Advancement of Non-Racialism and Democracy (CANRAD) at Nelson Mandela University and Dr. Nkosikhulule Nyembezi, Policy Analyst and mediator Researcher at Election Monitoring Network