'The caravan will move whether people like or not,' says Ramaphosa amid withdrawals on National Dialogue
President Cyril Ramaphosa has drawn a line in the sand, saying the National Dialogue will go ahead “whether people like it or not”.
Ramaphosa was speaking in parliament on Tuesday, where he faced tough questions from MPs.
DA MP Ryan Smith dismissed the dialogue as a failure, saying its credibility had collapsed after the withdrawal of key stakeholders.
He asked how Ramaphosa expected to win the country’s backing for the dialogue’s outcomes if he could not even get the whole country in the room.
However, Ramaphosa pushed back and said he had no intentions of wading into the politics surrounding the process.
“I do not want to get into the politics of who withdrew and who stayed in … this is not the president’s dialogue,” he said.
Furthermore, Ramaphosa dismissed claims from Government of National Unity partners — including the DA and FF Plus — that the ANC was hijacking the dialogue to score votes ahead of the 2026 local government elections.
“The people of South Africa called for the dialogue and then said it has to be convened for the first meeting by the President because embedded in our constitution is the notion that when we talk about nation building, it is the President who should lead the process,” Ramaphosa said.
“I speak as someone who was involved in a number of previous dialogues. We had the peace process in our country when the country was dogged by a lot of violence.
“A number of South Africans got together and said we should have a peace summit, and when that was held, a number of others did not participate. But a peace pact was framed, and it helped to bring down levels of violence in the country.
“When we were moving forward to democratise our country, I remember very clearly we held a Convention for a Democratic Future, which brought together a number of organisations; many others did not participate,” he added.
Ramaphosa said the National Convention of the National Dialogue which was held last month at UNISA in Pretoria, helped to craft the path towards negotiations.
“When the multiparty negotiations started with CODESA, a number of other entities did not participate, but it still resulted in the caravan moving forward.”
“When the multiparty negotiations happened for a new constitution, a number of parties did not participate – and these were parties of great weight and influence.
“They didn’t participate, but the caravan moved on and finally produced the constitution that we now have. The process of drafting that constitution was so broad and so inclusive that the drafters went throughout the country to involve many South African citizens.”
Ramaphosa’s comments come after the National Convention, faced widespread criticism as a mere “talk shop” by political parties, organisations and lobby groups.
The event was also marred by controversy, with several prominent figures and organisations – including former president Thabo Mbeki, legacy foundations, civil society groups and GNU members, withdrawing from the process.
Legacy foundations such as the Thabo Mbeki Foundation and the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation voiced concerns over the rushed implementation, lack of transparency around the initial R740 million budget and a perceived shift toward government control.
However, the National Treasury previously confirmed to IOL News a significant reduction in the cost of the National Dialogue, slashing the budget from R740 million to an estimated R441 million, excluding unexpected expenses.
Ramaphosa said it was normal for there to be criticism.
“So, it often happens that when national processes occur, there will be those who say they have not been included, those who say it is irrelevant, and those who don’t want to participate. But the majority always participate and move the process forward.”
He added that he was no longer involved in organising the National Dialogue.
“In this case, I am hopeful – much as truth be told, I now have nothing to do with the dialogue because it is now being led by a steering committee of which I am not a member.
“This dialogue will now be taken forward by those who believe the process belongs to them. The government’s role will be supportive, financing their activities in various ways. The caravan will move on, whether people like it or not.
“Those who want to be part of it and join in will find the door open. The caravan will stop for a while to allow them to climb on, then continue moving forward,” Ramaphosa added.
simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za
IOL Politics