The Presidency’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, has dismissed concerns about a reported R700 million price tag for the upcoming National Dialogue process, calling current budget debates “premature” and “unfortunate.”

In an interview on The Morning Brief FM with Thulasizwe Simelane, Magwenya said the process should not be mistaken as a presidential project but rather a national undertaking aimed at redefining South Africa’s future.

This comes after the estimated R700 million price tag ignited a firestorm of criticism from trade unions, political parties, academics, and sectors of civil society, especially in a context of austerity measures, service delivery failures, and deepening inequality.

“This is not President Ramaphosa’s project. This is South Africa’s undertaking to go back to the drawing board and engage and discuss what kind of country we would like to see over the next many years to come,” Magwenya said.

He highlighted that no official government budget has yet been set and that the R700 million figure circulating in public discourse is merely a proposal raised by external foundations involved in the planning phase.

“We don’t have a budget at this point. Government is yet to formulate the budget that will then go through all the necessary and stipulated budgetary processes before we can come out to the public and say, here’s what it’s going to cost you,” Magwenya said.

He acknowledged concerns about state spending in a time of fiscal austerity, saying:

“We absolutely appreciate the concerns, and we understand where the concerns are coming from,the debate over 700 million rands is completely misplaced and completely unnecessary.”

To put the figure into perspective, R700 million could make a tangible difference in many critical areas of public service:

At a low-end cost of R200,000 per house, R700 million could build 3,500 new RDP homes—providing permanent shelter for thousands of people living in informal settlements or inadequate housing.

Using the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) rate of R4.88 per meal, it costs R976 to feed one learner for a 200-day school year. R700 million could feed 716,393 learners for a full academic year. 

With an average starting salary of R163,179, R700 million could pay 4,289 teachers for a full year, addressing teacher shortages and overcrowded classrooms.

Magwenya confirmed that efforts will be made to tap into existing resources, such as the SABC and local government infrastructure, to limit expenditure and ensure broader public participation.

”In the process of formulating the budget, you have to look at technologies [that] allow you to enable as many voices to be expressed as possible, like the public broadcaster,” Magwenya said. Government is also considering alternative funding sources, but without compromising the legitimacy of the process.

On the controversial list of “eminent persons” tasked with stewarding the Dialogue, Magwenya explained that these individuals were selected precisely to maintain neutrality and avoid sectoral bias. 

“We want sectors in society to bring input into the process. We don’t want [organisations] constrained by the burden of also guiding the process. Therefore, you need a group of eminent persons that are not going to be constrained by sectoral expectations,” he said. 

The National Dialogue’s first major event, the National Convention, is set for  August 15 2025, and is intended as a forum for all South Africans to reflect on the past 30 years and shape the country’s next chapter.

According to the Magwenya, the goal is to recapture the spirit of national consensus seen before 1994: “How do we utilise this process to once again, as we did pre-1994, define the kind of South Africa that we want to see, not only for ourselves, but future generations as well.”

hope.ntanzi@iol.co.za 

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