ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri said she believes the National Dialogue Convention marks a significant moment in South Africa’s history, one that should unite all South Africans in confronting the country’s most pressing challenges.

Speaking outside UNISA, where the national dialogue is being hosted, Bhengu-Motsiri stressed the importance of broad participation, noting that this is not a dialogue for politicians or any single sector, but one for “the people of South Africa and by the people of South Africa.”

“We trust, as the ANC, that all South Africans from all walks of life, white or black, African or coloured or Indian, Christian, Muslim and all of the different religions represented in our country, organised civil society in the form of non-government organisations, in the form of public benefit organisations, we trust that they are going to utilise this opportunity for what it is worth,” she said.

Bhengu-Motsiri said the dialogue must tackle core issues such as crime, unemployment, the land question, gender-based violence, and inequality.

But beyond that, she said, it must also serve as a platform to build a shared national vision, one that addresses questions of patriotism, sovereignty, foreign policy, and most importantly, “how to defend the gains of democracy.”

She highlighted corruption as a central concern, warning against both public and private sector corruption and pointing out how ordinary citizens can sometimes enable corrupt practices.

“We must push back against corruption, crime, and corruption, both corporate sector corruption as well as public sector corruption, but also corruption that is abetted and enabled by us as citizens,” she said.

On the economy, she emphasised the need for inclusive growth and job creation, particularly through leveraging South Africa’s mineral wealth. “We are a country that is very rich in mineral resources,” she said.

“How to ensure that we leverage some of our strengths, such as beneficiation of mineral resources, front-load matters of that nature, using the dialogue.”

The ANC, she said, is participating in the dialogue to listen and reflect. “We are here just as stakeholders alongside a number of the progressive forces in South Africa.

”I’ve seen COSATU here; I’ve seen others. I’m certain that all of us are going to be participating in this process with the commitment that it does require from all of us as South Africans.”

Bhengu-Motsiri said the dialogue is a continuation of South Africa’s long tradition of national conversations that shaped its democracy, referencing the Congress of the People, where the Freedom Charter was adopted.

“Women fought to have their voice heard at the Congress of the People. So this dialogue is nothing new to South Africa that we know, because even the democracy that we enjoyed was achieved through a negotiated settlement,” she said.

She added that unresolved matters from the early democratic transition, like land reform, need to be addressed openly and thoroughly in the dialogue process, which is expected to continue into next year.

hope.ntanzi@iol.co.za

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