Calls for national dialogue mount

June 28, 2024 84

Political Analyst, Lesego More, says a National Dialogue could be significant in finding a new identity for South Africa.

He says it’s fitting once again for politicians to go back to the masses to consult broadly on the direction the country is taking.

Several organisations, including Desmond and Leah Tutu Foundation, Steve Biko Foundation, Ahmed Kathrada Foundation and Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Foundation, are calling for the urgent need of a national dialogue as announced by the President in his inaugural speech.

They’ve urged citizens to join the discussion about the country they desire.

The foundations are of the view that South Africa has been faced by economic stagnation, governance failures and political paralysis.

More says it cannot be business as usual as socio-economic challenges continue to thrive in the country, 30 years into democracy.

“A lot of the focus has been taken by the electoral outcomes, but the realities are that for the past couple of years, South Africa still has an economy that’s not growing. There are challenges of crime, there are so many social issues that require a different approach.

“A good basis could then be to go back to the people and put democracy at work,” says More.

He says the calls for a National Dialogue happen at an opportune moment, when the country’s political landscape might be heading in a completely different direction.

More also emphasised the need for inclusive discussions.

“By inclusivity, it needs to be a dialogue that will be able to factor in voices from marginalised communities, grassroots movements, and religious societies. It shouldn’t just be a dialogue that is for the elite that have access to the platforms,” he explains.

Former Public Service and Administration Minister and chairperson of the Thabo Mbeki Foundation, Dr Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, says South Africa is currently in a political crisis.

Briefing the media yesterday, Fraser-Moleketi said the 2024 election results have given rise to the urgent need for reflection as a country.

“For the first time in 30 years the electorate has decided not to give any political party a majority vote. This has presented an opportunity for communities and for everyone to review the past years and focus on what has gone wrong and how that can be addressed.”

Fraser-Moleketi says what was set out when the democratic dispensation was established, and the Constitution was adopted has not been achieved.

The United Democratic Movement (UDM) agree with More that the national dialogue will need to be inclusive.

UDM leader, Bantu Holomisa, says they envision the dialogue not as a two-day affair, but as a continuation of matters left unattended to at the convention that give birth to a democratic South Africa, referred to as Codesa.

“Timeframes for implementation should be associated with the decisions taken at the National Dialogue to ensure it is not a mere talk-shop.”

Holomisa says no single party should take the sole responsibility of compiling the agenda and preparing for the sessions.

“There should be a Committee of Stakeholders that should agree on a Secretariat that would organise the National Dialogue together with an independent facilitator.”

Written by: Lindiwe Mpanza

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