Prof William Gumede to chair multiparty convention

Leading academic Prof William Gumede has been announced as the chairperson of the multiparty convention set to take place among opposition parties this month.

The convention is due to kickstart negotiations among parties including the DA, FF Plus, IFP, ActionSA and others to form a grouping with the aim of toppling the ANC in the 2024 elections.

The parties exploring such an agreement announced that Gumede will be an independent chairperson and is not affiliated to any of the participating parties.

“From the outset, this grouping of parties has understood the need for these talks to benefit from the wisdom and experience that is available in South Africa and too often ignored by political leaders who falsely believe they have a monopoly on solutions needed in South Africa,” those involved said.

The parties said they considered Gumede's contributions to the country and various democracies across the world.

“It is evident there is no South African who is better placed to guide our multiparty process.”

Gumede, an associate professor at the Wits School of Governance, is a founder of the Democracy Works Foundation and teaches Commonwealth MPs how to manage their parliaments, ensure effective oversight of the executive and government entities, and how to conduct themselves ethically as MPs.

He also runs a course on public policy and economics, including how to put together the national budget for MPs from all political parties in South Africa.

The professor is also celebrated for having mediated in several countries' civil and communal conflicts, including that of Eswatini between the king, his allies and opposition parties before the 2013 national elections.

The parties also refer to Gumede having advised several African governments on alternative approaches to hold violent belligerents accountable after civil wars, including that between Christians and Muslims in the Central African Republic and the civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Despite his track record abroad, he is said to be influential at home, having been the facilitator in the healing and reparation process between the mine, victims and communities after the Marikana massacre.

“During the anti-apartheid struggle, Prof Gumede held several leadership positions in South African student, civics and trade union movements. He was a political violence mediator and area co-ordinator for the national peace committee during the multiparty negotiations for a democratic South Africa and was seconded to South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission.”

During the multiparty convention, Gumede will steer the process alongside a specialist team of technical advisers. These include:

• Nerine Kahn, the former CEO of the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration (CCMA);
• Prof Uwe Jun, the director of Trier Institute for Democracy and Party Research (TIDuP) in Germany; and
• Zamayirha Peter, a former journalist and communications specialist heading up communications for the conveners.

Gumede is reported to have already begun his work by chairing the weekly meetings of those involved in efforts to establish a multiparty agreement. These meetings enable parties to engage on the agenda for the convention and to build greater consensus before it starts. .

“Already these engagements are benefiting from the experience and wisdom that Prof Gumede and his team have brought to the table. This multiparty grouping of parties is committed to presenting South Africans with a compelling alternative vision and direction for our country.”

The parties said their agreement would seek to address the greatest challenges facing the country to inspire millions of South Africans who have lost hope.

“This agreement must lay the foundation for a new multiparty government in 2024 that can start the work of moving our country forward again.”

The convention is set to take place on August 16 and 17 at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, Johannesburg.

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