‘Fix corruption by changing people, not the system': Imtiaz Sooliman at National Convention
Gift of the Givers founder Dr Imtiaz Sooliman said the dialogue is not just for people's voices to be heard but also a mechanism for holding the government accountable.
The dialogue has been met with mixed feelings; some are optimistic that it could work, while others believe it to be a waste of resources.
While the National Dialogue is about people being heard, raising issues, and finding solutions, it is also another mechanism for holding government accountable.
This is according to Gift of the Givers founder and Eminent Persons Group (EPG) member Dr Imtiaz Sooliman.
Speaking to News24 on the first day of the National Convention at Unisa in Pretoria on Friday, Sooliman maintained that the dialogue is not a political ploy, but a tool to allow people to have their voices heard.
The convention marks the beginning of the National Dialogue, which aims to rebuild trust, address South Africa's challenges, and shape a shared future.
'There is willingness from the country to be heard because we know the normal issues. We know about education, about health, about potholes, but what about the people that we don't know about, the unemployed majority, the physically and mentally challenged, and other categories? This is an opportunity for them to raise their voices,' Sooliman said.
READ | What we want you to discuss. With love, ordinary South Africans
He added, 'But while saying that, there are multiple levels in which I look at this dialogue. Number one is that people are given an opportunity to speak, but at the same time, they need to take ownership of the country into their own hands. I need everybody to be a patriot.'
Sooliman said the other aspect of the dialogue is to hold the government to account.
'Why are the systems not working properly? Why are there surplus budgets in all the different departments? Why are they not used? Why are your civil servants not effective in making decisions? Why do we have so many ministries? We need to cut the ministries. We need to cut civil servants. We need to reposition jobs.
'We need better, highly skilled people who know how to control budgets, how to control logistics, and how to deliver. We need people who are efficient, not your grandfather's sister, your brother, your uncle, your cat or dog.'
However, Sooliman stressed that he also had to be fair to the government, noting, among other things, that the taxes are not enough to run the country, no matter who is in power.
He further said that the government is not inherently corrupt, nor are the police, but rather, there are corrupt people in the government and the police force, just as in the corporate and religious world.
'We have corruption everywhere, but it doesn't make the system corrupt,' said Sooliman.
He spoke about the need to strengthen crime-fighting and allow authorities to freely pursue any minister, politician, or government official who commits a crime.
Sooliman said these are the sorts of discussions he hopes to have, which will lead to action.
'If it doesn't [lead to action], I'm wasting my time, to be honest.'
SA Council of Churches weighs in
Like Sooliman, Thembelani Jentile of the South African Council of Churches spoke about the scourge of corruption and the need to root it out.
'We need to see a country that is corruption-free, a country that creates jobs, and an economy that is doing well, so the dialogue is important because we just have to sit down and talk.'
Jentile believes this can only be done through the appointment of ethical leaders.
Jentile said:
We need leadership in South Africa, not just leadership but ethical leadership. If we have ethical, informed leadership, most of these problems will be sorted, and you know, the sad thing is it's not that we don't have the skills, or that we don't have the leaders.
'But I think we are electing the wrong people, and corruption is right in the DNA of our country. So if we can handle that, I think we'll do well as a country.'
Keitumetse Fatimata Moutloatse, the chairperson of the Black Womxn Caucus, which advocates for multi-pronged and cross-sectional solutions to addressing gender-based violence and femicide, is also hopeful that the dialogue will bear fruit.
'We're not starting a dialogue, but what we seek to do is to continue the dialogue. We want to shape the dialogue. We want to influence the dialogue and its outcomes,' she said.
'We are most interested in elevating the voices of communities into decision-making processes so that we get to a stage where we have a collective plan of action as a country.'
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News24
a day ago
- News24
‘Fix corruption by changing people, not the system': Imtiaz Sooliman at National Convention
The National Convention marks the beginning of the National Dialogue, which aims to rebuild trust, address country-wide problems, and shape a shared future. Gift of the Givers founder Dr Imtiaz Sooliman said the dialogue is not just for people's voices to be heard but also a mechanism for holding the government accountable. The dialogue has been met with mixed feelings; some are optimistic that it could work, while others believe it to be a waste of resources. While the National Dialogue is about people being heard, raising issues, and finding solutions, it is also another mechanism for holding government accountable. This is according to Gift of the Givers founder and Eminent Persons Group (EPG) member Dr Imtiaz Sooliman. Speaking to News24 on the first day of the National Convention at Unisa in Pretoria on Friday, Sooliman maintained that the dialogue is not a political ploy, but a tool to allow people to have their voices heard. The convention marks the beginning of the National Dialogue, which aims to rebuild trust, address South Africa's challenges, and shape a shared future. 'There is willingness from the country to be heard because we know the normal issues. We know about education, about health, about potholes, but what about the people that we don't know about, the unemployed majority, the physically and mentally challenged, and other categories? This is an opportunity for them to raise their voices,' Sooliman said. READ | What we want you to discuss. With love, ordinary South Africans He added, 'But while saying that, there are multiple levels in which I look at this dialogue. Number one is that people are given an opportunity to speak, but at the same time, they need to take ownership of the country into their own hands. I need everybody to be a patriot.' Sooliman said the other aspect of the dialogue is to hold the government to account. 'Why are the systems not working properly? Why are there surplus budgets in all the different departments? Why are they not used? Why are your civil servants not effective in making decisions? Why do we have so many ministries? We need to cut the ministries. We need to cut civil servants. We need to reposition jobs. 'We need better, highly skilled people who know how to control budgets, how to control logistics, and how to deliver. We need people who are efficient, not your grandfather's sister, your brother, your uncle, your cat or dog.' However, Sooliman stressed that he also had to be fair to the government, noting, among other things, that the taxes are not enough to run the country, no matter who is in power. He further said that the government is not inherently corrupt, nor are the police, but rather, there are corrupt people in the government and the police force, just as in the corporate and religious world. 'We have corruption everywhere, but it doesn't make the system corrupt,' said Sooliman. He spoke about the need to strengthen crime-fighting and allow authorities to freely pursue any minister, politician, or government official who commits a crime. Sooliman said these are the sorts of discussions he hopes to have, which will lead to action. 'If it doesn't [lead to action], I'm wasting my time, to be honest.' SA Council of Churches weighs in Like Sooliman, Thembelani Jentile of the South African Council of Churches spoke about the scourge of corruption and the need to root it out. 'We need to see a country that is corruption-free, a country that creates jobs, and an economy that is doing well, so the dialogue is important because we just have to sit down and talk.' Jentile believes this can only be done through the appointment of ethical leaders. Jentile said: We need leadership in South Africa, not just leadership but ethical leadership. If we have ethical, informed leadership, most of these problems will be sorted, and you know, the sad thing is it's not that we don't have the skills, or that we don't have the leaders. 'But I think we are electing the wrong people, and corruption is right in the DNA of our country. So if we can handle that, I think we'll do well as a country.' Keitumetse Fatimata Moutloatse, the chairperson of the Black Womxn Caucus, which advocates for multi-pronged and cross-sectional solutions to addressing gender-based violence and femicide, is also hopeful that the dialogue will bear fruit. 'We're not starting a dialogue, but what we seek to do is to continue the dialogue. We want to shape the dialogue. We want to influence the dialogue and its outcomes,' she said. 'We are most interested in elevating the voices of communities into decision-making processes so that we get to a stage where we have a collective plan of action as a country.'
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National Dialogue can succeed, but must expose ‘government's failures', say prominent figures
On the National Convention opening day, prominent South Africans acknowledged the long and challenging path toward improving the country, but expressed hope. The first National Convention is being held at Unisa's Muckleneuk Campus in Pretoria this weekend, with around 1 000 delegates expected. The dialogue has faced controversy, with prominent foundations like the Thabo Mbeki, Desmond Tutu, and Steve Biko foundations withdrawing due to numerous concerns. Some of South Africa's most prominent figures acknowledged that while the path to improving the country will be difficult, the National Convention process can succeed. The National Convention is taking place at Unisa's Muckleneuk Campus in Pretoria from Friday, as a precursor to the National Dialogue. About 1 000 delegates are expected to attend; 755 people have been invited from over 30 sectors, and over 200 organisations. Some of the key figures tasked to champion the National Dialogue include the founder of humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers, Imtiaaz Sooliman. Sooliman's organisation has been at the forefront of global and local humanitarian efforts for decades. 'I was grateful that they asked me to get involved because we're involved in a big way in any case in fixing the country in many aspects, in many different parts. Whether it's education, health, water, or hunger,' he said. Gift of the Givers has distributed over R6 billion in aid across 47 countries over the last 32 years. Sooliman said that there are people in government who cannot deliver decent services. 'We have inefficient people within government itself that can't do service delivery. They're not skilled enough to do what needs to be done. That's a big challenge. 'There's a bureaucracy in the red tape. And that's one of the things we want to raise in the process. I'd like to ask the president directly why we have systems that delay delivery. So often billions get allocated, but they're never used,' he said. Sooliman added that there is a trust deficit between voters and the government. 'People, at the end of the day, are suffering. And those people have put their trust in the electoral process. This is why people are complaining. Not so many people are coming to vote. Why are they not coming to vote? Because they put their trust in you and you let them down. We need to fix that system. 'The dialogue can't be about only listening to people's problems. It also must be to tell the government about the messes they are making. The dialogue must expose the government's failures, not just hear citizens' grievances,' he said. Retired Constitutional Court Justice Edwin Cameron wants one outcome from the National Dialogue. He said: One of the most imperative outcomes of this National Dialogue is to insist upon the speedy and early enactment of an effective, honest, strong, and fierce anti-corruption-busting unit. Cameron was referring to the 'Glenister judgment', a case that was heard in the Constitutional Court in 2011. The case centred on the establishment and independence of an anti-corruption unit, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), known as the Hawks. At the time, the court ruled that the DPCI, as established, did not meet the constitutional requirement of adequate independence from political influence. Cameron added: 'That is exactly what the Constitutional Court called for in its Glenister judgment of 2011, but which Parliament and the executive have failed to implement for nearly a decade and a half.' The proposed National Dialogue has also been mired in controversy after prominent legacy foundations withdrew. The Thabo Mbeki, Desmond and Leah Tutu, Steve Biko, and FW de Klerk foundations announced their withdrawal from the dialogue last week. Following a meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa last Thursday, they expressed concerns over government control and inadequate preparation. The National Dialogue has an estimated R700-million price tag and has faced backlash, with opposition parties labelling the cost 'grotesque and wasteful'. The South African Council of Churches (SACC) convened an urgent meeting earlier this week to discuss the National Dialogue. In a statement, the SACC said: 'We collectively register our grave concern at the developments that have taken place around the hosting of the National Convention earmarked for 15 and 16 August, as a first step in the National Dialogue. The statement continues: The church leaders believe that a postponement of the National Convention would have been a wise route to consider, to create the space required to reflect on the many moving parts of this process and align us on the core needs of the people of South Africa. 'This could allow us all to work together to maximise unity through an inclusive journey from the start,' it said. The SACC added that the concerns raised about the readiness to host the National Convention must be addressed in their entirety to build confidence in society. 'Confidence can only be established by insisting on transparency, accountability, and adherence to all procurement laws. 'The dialogue can only succeed if we maximise unity, societal ownership, and leadership of the process. It needs to be clearly spelt out what appropriate steps will be taken for those who are found to have misdirected the resources in this endeavour,' it added.
