Pule waga Mabe
Some South African politicians backed this week’s controversial Civil Society Initiative (CSI) conference, despite the call by the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) and other civil society formations for a boycott.
Minister of Defence Mosiuoa Lekota was among those invited to speak who didn’t show up. But among those who did was University of Cape Town Professor Jakes Gerwel, who told the conference: “There is a need for a civil society initiative that works towards transforming and establishing stability in a society.”
He said South Africa is facing deep social problems like crime, poverty and HIV/Aids that need the intervention of civil society.
Gerwel said the birth of democracy in South Africa has seen the mushrooming of NGOs, trade unions, church organisations and student and youth movements. “After 1994, we received a liberated social space,” he said.
Conference organiser, former United Democratic Movement co-leader Roelf Meyer said: “Civil society initiatives should inspire South Africans to participate in development.”
The two-day conference ended with delegates endorsing the launch of Project Hope Meyers’s brainchild aimed at honouring positive role models.
Meyer said the CSI’s emphasis will be to play an “entrepreneurial role” in support of existing civil society organisations and to encourage more people to get involved.
The CSI and the Institute for Democracy in South Africa managed to attract about 800 people to the “dialogue conference”, which was largely funded by the European Union and South African businesses.
But Cosatu and the South African National NGO Coalition (Sangoco) boycotted the event.
Cosatu accused Meyer of trying to “resurrect his failed political career by claiming to represent civil society”. A representative said it was universally accepted that trade unions form an important segment of civil society, yet they had not been invited to Meyer’s launch. They lambasted Meyer for trying to give credibility to his initiative by inviting former presidents Nelson Mandela and Bill Clinton to speak.
Sangoco accused Meyer of failing to be transparent about the nature of the CSI, its stakeholders, funders and participants at the conference.
In a tone of conciliation, Mandela told the conference that it is healthy for people to disagree in a democracy.
Mandela urged the CSI not to place itself as an opposition to government and at the same time, he called on government to listen to civil society.
Clinton shared these sentiments with Mandela, saying that South Africa needs a strong and vibrant civil society.