National Monologue: ANC's Shameful R450m PR Stunt
President Cyril Ramaphosa insists that this will not disrupt the program, but with a significant amount of the country represented, can it actually be considered a National Dialogue or just a tax-payer funded gesture from the ANC before an election year?
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TimesLIVE
16 minutes ago
- TimesLIVE
We are here to start the dialogue, says Ramaphosa
President Cyril Ramaphosa has emphasised his standing amid the wrangling over the national dialogue. Taking to the podium to address the national convention meant to kick off the dialogue, the president maintained he is well within his rights to oversee the process as its convener. 'I have called this first national convention in my capacity as your president, as the head of state. I have done so in line with section 83 of our constitution, which requires the president, as the head of state and head of the national executive, to promote the unity of the nation and that which will advance the republic. 'This is what brings me here. This is why I invited all of you here, to be here and be part of this dialogue,' said Ramaphosa. Despite the dramatic 11th-hour withdrawal from the dialogue by legacy foundations, Ramaphosa insisted there was a need to forge ahead as planned. Thanking them for their work preparing for the dialogue, Ramaphosa said any hesitation or postponement could erode trust in the process by civil society organisations and NGOs invited to share their views. 'For more than a year, various formations of civil society have been working to conceptualise and champion the national dialogue. Central to this effort have been a number of legacy foundations established by and named for stalwarts of our liberation struggle. We express our gratitude and appreciation for the work of these foundations in giving life to the national dialogue.' He said this would open up a space where South Africans confront their realities openly, respectfully and constructively. 'This is not a partisan platform. This is a national platform. Here, no voice is too small and no perspective is too inconvenient to be heard. We are gathered to listen to each other, to understand one another and to chart a common path forward for our country. 'We meet at a time of profound challenges: economic hardship, unemployment, inequality, growing poverty and a crisis of confidence in our institutions. We also meet at a time when the world is rapidly changing and our ability to adapt and renew ourselves will define the next generation. But history teaches us that nations are not defined solely by their difficulties; they are defined by how they respond to challenges they face.' Ramaphosa said the South African struggle was one for freedom from the nightmare of apartheid, one that proved there was unity in diversity. 'It is a powerful force for transformation. Gathered in this hall are people from all across our land, people from all walks of life, people of all races, all classes, all languages and cultures.' Despite the diversity of those participating in forums like the dialogue, one thing that held South Africans together was that they were all 'sons and daughters of the same soil'. 'We share a common past. We share the same inheritance of division, of inequality and of injustice. We share the same pride at ending the crime of apartheid and establishing a constitutional democracy. We also share a common future. And that is why we have chosen to gather here today. Because each one of us, regardless of our differences, is committed to work together to build the future of which we all dream. 'We have chosen to be here because we believe in the power of dialogue and united action. We believe that if we share our concerns and fears, we can conquer them. If we understand the challenges we face, we can overcome them. 'If we know what hurts us, we can heal. If we know what divides us, we can unite.' He said across the length and breadth of South Africa, people would, and should, meet to talk about what worried them, what gave them hope and how they thought their lives and the country could be better.
eNCA
16 minutes ago
- eNCA
Ramaphosa urges dialogue, unity to fix 'broken' South Africa
People sit next to a sign reading National Dialogue 2025 during the first National Convention at the University of South Africa (UNISA) in Pretoria on August 15, 2025. PRETORIA - President Cyril Ramaphosa urged South Africans to come together to find solutions to the country's many problems, launching on Friday a months-long "national dialogue" dismissed by critics as a costly talk shop. The nationwide public consultation comes with Africa's most industrialised nation still grappling with massive poverty and inequality 30 years after the end of apartheid. "We all agree that there are many things that are broken in our country," Ramaphosa told a convention of more than 1,000 people that will draw up a roadmap for local-level meetings across the country over six to nine months. "By getting together, talking to each other, we should be able to find solutions on how we can put many of the things that are broken in our country together," he said. Among the problems Ramaphosa cited were unemployment that has passed 33 percent and inequality, among the starkest in the world. Priorities listed by organisers included high crime and land reform, with most farmland still in the hands of the white minority. Ramaphosa's African National Congress (ANC) is touting the dialogue as a "conversation among South Africans" to chart a brighter future, but it has been met with scepticism by critics. The Democratic Alliance, the second-largest party in the rocky year-old government of national unity, labelled the process as "meaningless" and an "obscene waste" of money and said it would not take part. The two-day convention was snubbed by key backers of the dialogue, including former president Thabo Mbeki, after complaints that it had been rushed and concerns about the budget. 'Bold', 'practical' Amid reports that it will cost taxpayers several hundred million rand, the presidency has said everything would be done to reduce costs, with some venues and transport to be provided for free. Ramaphosa called on people from across the diverse nation of 63 million to take part. "We also need to ask ourselves, why do so many people live in abject poverty, and so few live lives of opulence?" he said. "Why, after decades of democracy, are the prospects of the white child so much better than those of a black child?" he said. "We must aim to emerge from this process with a shared national vision: one that is bold enough to inspire, yet practical enough to implement," Ramaphosa said. Around 30 eminent South Africans have been named as ambassadors of the process, including award-winning actor John Kani and Miss South Africa 2024, Mia le Roux, who were both at the launch. "We are a group of people who are very keen, have interest and experience," said Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of the Gift of the Givers humanitarian group and another ambassador. "If you listen to the dialogue within ourselves, it is not a rubber-stamp organisation -- everyone challenges each other," he told AFP.
Eyewitness News
16 minutes ago
- Eyewitness News
Government to utilise own facilities for National Dialogue to cut costs
JOHANNESBURG - In an effort to bring down the cost of the National Dialogue, government said it will be using its own facilities to host the events. The National Dialogues will be spread out over nine months, with organisers criss-crossing the country, engaging South Africans. The entire process was initially estimated to cost more than R700 million, leading to critics calling it an expensive talkshop. READ: Ramaphosa emphasises National Dialogue as a platform for tough questions Speaking at the National Dialogue Convention in Pretoria on Friday, President Cyril Ramaphosa said he could not allow for the event to cost this much. 'The Unisa VC, said to cut off all those costs, said we will give you this beautiful venue for free, and now we got it for free, and that's exactly what we will seek to do. We will be going around the country, we will desist from hiring expensive halls and hotels and so on, we will want to hold the various dialogues in schools, churches but not in beer halls. We will hold them under the tree and all that because the people of SA do not want us to be spending too much money on the conversations we are going to have.'
