Less than four months before the World Summit on Sustainable Development begins in Johannesburg, there is no sign that the split in the civil society process is being mended.
The two groups involved ? the South African Civil Society Forum and a body headed by the Rural Services Development Network (RSDN) ? have stopped talking to each other.
In-fighting among the local stakeholders started about six months ago, when the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) alleged weak management and lack of financial controls in the original Civil Society Indaba, headed by Jacqui Brown.
Brown was suspended and Cosatu, the South African Council of Churches and the South African NGO Coalition (Sangoco) constituted the South African Civil Society Forum.
But not all parties came on board. The RSDN and some rural groups and NGOs, allege “big brother interference” ? that the forum is being hijacked by the government through Cosatu.
The RSDN counts the First People grouping within its ranks, although the South African Civil Society Forum, headed by Sangoco leader Zakes Hlatswayo, is trying to persuade the First People to come back on board.
The civil society gathering will have between 50 000 and 60 000 delegates.