NATIONAL DIALOGUE: MORE DETAILS EMERGE DURING PRESIDENTIAL BUDGET VOTE DEBATE

NATIONAL DIALOGUE: MORE DETAILS EMERGE DURING PRESIDENTIAL BUDGET VOTE DEBATE

• 17 July 2025
• Parliament
• SA Legal Academy

The upcoming national dialogue ‘is not an event’, according to Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni. In a speech delivered to members of the National Assembly during a debate on the Presidency’s 2025/26 budget vote, the Minister referred to the dialogue as ‘a process’ that will begin on 15 August 2025 and continue ‘for a period of no less than 12 months’.

The Minister used the opportunity to elaborate on aspects of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s 16 July 2025 budget vote address, when he assured members that:

• the national dialogue ‘does not displace (either) the democratic processes mandated by our Constitution, … (or) the electoral mandates that parties carry into Parliament and the executive’, and that
• as the national dialogue process evolves, the Government of National Unity ‘will continue to take action to address ... immediate concerns that all South Africans share’, namely to:
  • ‘grow our economy’
  • ‘create jobs’
  • ‘tackle corruption and crime’, and
  • ‘fix local government’.

Likening the dialogue to ‘the consultation process that led to our new Constitution’ (including the National Peace Accord and the Convention for a Democratic South Africa), the President said it, too, is ‘expected to produce real results that have a tangible impact on people’s lives’.

It was against this backdrop that Minister Ntshavheni noted the importance of building a ‘culture’ around the national dialogue where:

• ‘disagreement is not a threat, but a sign of a healthy democracy’
• ‘every voice matters’
• ‘youth are not just heard but involved’, and where
• ‘the marginalised are not only included but empowered’.

In that context – led by Deputy President Paul Mashatile – government’s broader social cohesion and social compacting initiatives have identified an array of priority issues to be included in the national dialogue process, focusing on:

• gender-based violence and femicide
• teenage pregnancy
• racism
• sexism and patriarchy, and
• ‘the role of families in building communities’.

To that end, the preparatory task team and inter-ministerial committee envisage a process ‘immersed in deep citizen engagements’ across 30 diverse sectors of society.

Outlining the ‘layers of conversation’ entailed, the Minister referred to:

• the 15 August 2025 gathering as a ‘first national convention’ at which approximately 1000 delegates will set an agenda for the ensuing process in anticipation of ‘community engagements’
• 13,400 ‘ward-based community dialogues’
• an online platform intended to reach ‘no less than 2,5m citizens’
• ‘smaller citizen-hosted events in churches and community groups’ with access to a ‘toolkit being designed so that … outcomes feed into the process’
• ‘sectoral dialogues … self-organised in specific social or economic sectors’ with access to the same toolkit
• a second national convention from which a ‘national compact’ and ’30-year plan of action’ are expected to emerge
• a ‘detailed implementation plan’
• a ‘national roadshow to socialise the outcomes of the national dialogue and engage with implementation partners’, and
• ‘independent, citizen-led monitoring and evaluation’.

According to the Minister, ‘the work of conceptualising and planning for the national dialogue process’ began 12 months ago with ‘ordinary citizens from various walks of life volunteering their time, skills and resources’. She believes that ‘many South Africans are eagerly awaiting the dialogue’, with ‘737 organisations’ having indicated ‘their wish to participate in various elements’ since online registration platforms opened a week ago.

• Minister’s speech
• President’s speech

Published by SA Legal Academy Policy Watch

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