President Cyril Ramaphosa has denied that taxpayers will foot a R740 million bill to fund the National Dialogue, saying the event will be conducted at minimal cost and will be hosted at free venues such as community halls, schools and churches.

Speaking at the launch of the inaugural National Convention of the National Dialogue at the University of South Africa (UNISA) in Pretoria on Thursday, Ramaphosa dismissed reports of extravagant spending.

“That amounts to R740 million to be utilised. We can have this dialogue much cheaper. Much lower costs must be the order of the day,” he said, addressing delegates at UNISA’s ZK Matthews Hall.

Ramaphosa expressed his gratitude to UNISA Vice-Chancellor Professor Puleng LenkaBula for offering the venue free of charge.

“We were very fortunate. The University of South Africa, the Vice-Chancellor – the good professor – immediately said, ‘You know what? We’ll cut off all those costs. We’ll give you this beautiful venue for free.’ Now, that is exactly what we are going to seek to do. We will be going around the country,” he said.

Ramaphosa stressed that expensive hotel venues and hired halls would be avoided.

“We will want to hold various dialogues in schools. We will hold them in churches,” he said, drawing laughter from the audience when he added, “Not in the beer hall. Not in the beer hall. We will hold them under the tree and all that.”

He said this approach would reduce the financial burden on the state.

“Because the people of South Africa do not want us to be spending too much money on the conversations that we are going to have,” he said.

The event has been mired in controversy, with several key figures and organisations withdrawing from the process.

These include former president Thabo Mbeki, multiple legacy foundations, civil society groups, and members of the Government of National Unity (GNU).

Prominent organisations such as the Thabo Mbeki Foundation and the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation cited concerns over the dialogue’s implementation, a rushed timeline, and uncertainty over the alleged R700 million budget.

They also criticised what they described as a growing shift towards government control.

Opposition parties, including the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, have criticised the dialogue as an “expensive sideshow” intended to bypass Parliament and centralise power within the Presidency.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) and Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus) also withdrew, accusing the ruling African National Congress (ANC) of using the platform to bolster its image ahead of the 2026 local government elections.

Despite the controversy, members of the Eminent Persons Group and senior ANC officials – including Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula, National Chairperson Gwede Mantashe, Treasurer-General Gwen Ramokgopa, and Education Subcommittee Head David Mathura – attended the launch.

simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za

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