President Cyril Ramaphosa’s National Dialogue initiative has taken a step forward with the conclusion of its first convention, but the process continues facing criticism from various sectors of society. 

The convention took place at UNISA in Pretoria last weekend, where fewer than 1,000 South African citizens participated.

Ramaphosa, in his weekly newsletter on Monday, announced that the National Dialogue, having adjourned on Saturday afternoon, would now engage citizens at a local and grassroots level to discuss daily issues.

He encouraged individuals to initiate their own local discussions, which will be recorded and deliberated at the next convention early next year.

He said the convention marked the beginning of a national conversation that will culminate in a second convention in the first half of 2026, aimed at producing a clear vision for the country and adopting a social compact.

Ramaphosa emphasised the importance of inclusivity and participation in the National Dialogue, stating that citizens themselves must determine the issues discussed and use approaches that suit their circumstances. 

He also highlighted the need for constructive and honest discussion on the difficult questions facing the country.

He outlined the next steps for the National Dialogue, which include a Steering Committee, consisting of nominees from all sectors of society, that will take the process forward, supported and guided by the Eminent Persons Group.

The outcomes of each dialogue will be recorded and collated through a special digital platform

However, several organisations and political experts have expressed concerns about the legitimacy and effectiveness of the National Dialogue, with some calling it the ANC’s election campaign. 

The South African Communist Party (SACP), which is aligned with the ANC, has criticised the process for lacking inclusivity, which they believe leads to an apparent legitimacy crisis.

“The process under way at this particular moment is marred by questions of lack of inclusivity, which leads to the apparent illegitimacy crisis for the dialogue process itself,” SACP spokesperson Mbulelo Mandlana said.

Another Government of National Unity partner, the GOOD Party’s National Youth Chairperson, Kaden Arguile, who participated, said that the dialogue’s potential has been undermined by poor planning, inefficiency, and a lack of structure. 

“Invitations went missing, communication collapsed, the schedule shifted constantly, and critical discussions were cut short,” Arguile said.

Despite the criticisms, some believe that the National Dialogue has the potential to strengthen democracy, amplify grassroots voices, and help unite South Africans around solutions. 

Cosatu spokesperson Matthew Parks said: “We believe citizens will respond to the president’s call for a dialogue, in particular at a community level and also at a sectoral level.

“The issues facing society are immense, in particular those affecting working-class communities… They require not only discussions but more importantly solutions and their implementation… The dialogue’s commencement last weekend was the beginning of a process. It will now be followed by 4,500 ward meetings plus sectoral engagements where the bulk of discussions with society will take place,” Parks said.

Political Analyst Professor Ntsikelelo Breakfast said the National Dialogue was an ambitious attempt to campaign for the upcoming local government elections.

“It’s more than being ambitious. Who stands to benefit is not the citizens but the ANC? We must look at the way that it has been framed. It gives me the impression that it’s hasty and clumsy… The main discussions that will be held early next year coincide with the local government elections, when the ANC will be campaigning for the elections.

“They (ANC) are not being honest about the whole National Dialogue, and they want to rush because they want to frame a development plan… So the discussions that the president is saying will take place early next year will most probably talk about the elections… it’s the ANC that benefits from this,” Breakfast said.

Another political analyst, Sandile Swana, said that the National Dialogue had started on a bad footing because most South Africans misunderstood what would come of it.

“The MK Party, EFF and the DA have not participated in this, and so there is a problem. People were holding rallies in Marikana instead of attending the National Dialogue…so it was not a success at all.

“The ANC under Ramaphosa is attempting to use the National Dialogue to connect with South African citizens for electoral benefits and to divert the attention of the citizens to increase unemployment and economic hardship as if they are doing something about it…Meantime, the National Dialogue was supposed to have been led by the citizens themselves with the facilitation of the State. But it has become an ANC of Ramaphosa event,” Swana said.

mashudu.sadike@inl.co.za

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