Latest news with #NationalDialogue
IOL News
19-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Building a better future: the need for national dialogue in South Africa
President Cyril Ramaphosa's recent attendance at the Nampo Harvest Day. Judging by the volumes of fake news and hate speech and more importantly the painful levels of unemployment, poverty and inequality experienced by most South Africans, the President's call must be supported and expedited. Image: GCIS President Cyril Ramaphosa made a call for National Dialogue in his address to Parliament shortly after the 2024 elections. Judging by the volumes of fake news and hate speech and more importantly the painful levels of unemployment, poverty and inequality experienced by most South Africans, the President's call must be supported and expedited. Despite our daunting challenges as a nation, we should not forget the massive strides we have accomplished since our hard-won democratic breakthrough in 1994. Not only we have repealed the numerous racist laws that did so much damage, but the state today spends more than 61% of the Budget invested in uplifting working-class communities. Yet with 43.1% overall and 72% youth unemployment rates, and our status as the world's most unequal society, we dare not rest. The damage done by the decade of state capture and corruption are well known, and whilst we applaud the progress in uprooting this cancer and reintroducing a sense of transparency and accountability across the state, much more needs to be done to end this shameful chapter, in particular sending those politicians, officials and businesspersons who stole billions from the public to prison. 2025 has seen a flurry of fake news on social media aimed at not only undermining South Africa's hard-won democracy and sovereignty but also our constitutionally sanctioned transformation journey. Whilst some instances of racist incitement must be dealt with by law enforcement, others need to be tackled by the President's call to a National Dialogue and more importantly by a concrete set of actions afterwards. Judging by the vitriolic of much of our public discourse, we need to pay much greater attention to our entrenched socio-economic challenges fueling this deep sense of alienation across parts of society. These must be anchored in government's Budget and legislation but also by tangible commitments by the private sector and ordinary citizens. Much has been said about the 49 South African migrants who departed for the US, we have far greater concerns to worry about, including the brain drain of skilled workers over the past few decades to far wealthier economies across the world. We must ask collectively, as government, business, labour and society, what is to be done and what are our specific contributions to building that better life for all? First, we must fix the state to capacitate public services, municipalities and State-Owned Enterprises to provide the services that working class communities and the economy depend upon. This includes expediting the infrastructure investment programme and providing relief for the poor. This requires a bold and progressive Budget be tabled at Parliament that invests and does not starve the state of the resources it requires to fulfill its constitutional mandates. The private sector too must play its part. This includes respecting our labour laws, embracing the principles of decent work and paying workers a living wage. Employees at any workplace are its most valuable asset, employers need to treat them as such. Undermining workers' rights is a recipe for labour market instability and undermines productivity. Employers need to hire South Africans first. We cannot sustain a society when four out of ten South Africans cannot find work, yet thousands of low skilled jobs are available and local youth are not prioritised. This trend across many sectors of the economy is extremely dangerous and has erupted into outbreaks of xenophobic violence in the recent past. It is time that lip service to support locally produced goods, from clothes to food, from furniture to cars, is translated into concrete procurement by government, businesses and us as ordinary citizens. This is the most powerful way to support local businesses, create badly needed jobs and sustain economic growth. Localisation must extend to our investment and pension funds. They need to prioritise investments in our mining, manufacturing and agricultural sectors amongst others. It is only when our companies shift their investments to South Africa, that we will be able to unlock the 3% economic growth needed to tackle unemployment. Employers need to engage with unions in good faith and seek alternatives to retrenchments as required by the Labour Relations Act. We should not be adding to an already dangerously high unemployment rate. This requires the Unemployment Insurance Fund's Temporary Employee Relief Scheme to be fixed and other public and private financial support for struggling businesses to be accessible to give these companies and their employees a fighting chance. The Public Employment Programmes as well as internships and artisanships across the private sector need to be drastically ramped up to provide a path towards employment for millions of young people. This includes providing capital, training and market access for aspirant entrepreneurs. If we are genuinely committed to social cohesion, then workers need to be paid a living wage. Well paid workers are not only motivated but also able to buy the goods that the economy produces. If we are serious about social cohesion, then we need to reduce the obscene wage gap, still so prevalent across the private sector between the highest and lowest paid employees. These amongst other interventions can provide the foundations for not only a growing but a more inclusive economy and a progressive developmental state. These will lay the foundations for a more equal and just society. Much of the responsibility for these rests with the state and also the private sector. There are elements that we as ordinary citizens are responsible for as well. Government puts in place our legislative and governance frameworks, but we must help ensure their implementation. We should not be content to outsource the nurturing of the democracy that generations sacrificed so much to secure, to others to nurture and defend. Similarly, we must not take for granted our vision of a non-racial, non-sexist society. Our actions must constantly speak to this call of the Freedom Charter. This requires all of us to spend more time listening to and addressing the concerns of society, in particular the most vulnerable. Solly Phetoe is the Cosatu General Secretary. Solly Phetoe. Image: File BUSINESS REPORT
eNCA
19-05-2025
- Politics
- eNCA
Forging a new social compact
JOHANNESBURG - The Strategic Dialogue Group has expressed its strong support for the proposed National Dialogue. South Africa is confronted with many persistent problems of crime, poverty, inequality and unemployment. Former president Thabo Mbeki proposed a national dialogue last year to agree on a new social compact to take the country forward. It's a suggestion that was embraced by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The Star
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Former Mauritanian president jailed for 15 years following appeal
Mauritania's President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz attends the closing session ofÊSudan's National Dialogue at the Friendship Hall in Khartoum, Sudan, October 10, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/File Photo NOUAKCHOTT (Reuters) - Mauritania's former president, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, was on Wednesday sentenced to 15 years in prison on corruption charges following an appeal to a Nouakchott court by both the state and Aziz's defence against a sentence imposed in 2023. Abdel Aziz led the West African country for a decade after coming to power in a 2008 coup, followed by an election a year later. He was an ally of Western powers fighting Islamist militants in the Sahel region. Abdel Aziz, who has denied corruption allegations, was found guilty of economic crimes and abuse of power. He was initially handed a five-year prison sentence in December 2023 before the state appealed against the leniency of that punishment and Aziz's team appealed the ruling, saying only a high court of justice was qualified to try a former president. "It is a decision that reflects the pressure the executive branch exerts on the judiciary," defence lawyer Mohameden Ichidou told Reuters, adding that the defence would appeal against the decision to the Supreme Court. Brahim Ebety, one of the plaintiff lawyers for the Mauritanian state, welcomed the ruling. "All the evidence has established that the former president, who single-handedly ruled the entire country, is the perpetrator of illicit enrichment, abuse of power, and money laundering," he said. Abdel Aziz was elected on a five-year mandate in 2009 and for a second term in 2014. An election in 2019 led to a peaceful transfer of power to Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, initially an ally of Abdel Aziz, but whose parliament later brought charges against him. (Editing by Portia Crowe, editing by Ed Osmond)
Egypt Today
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Today
Egypt's state security prosecution releases 55 pretrial detainees
CAIRO – 11 May 2025: Egypt's Supreme State Security Prosecution has ordered the release of 55 accused individuals pending investigation, two months after 50 pretrial detainees were also freed. Since the launch of the National Dialogue –a platform gathering various political powers and community segments to discuss key political, social and economic reforms with decision makers— the Egyptian prosecution has released hundreds of pretrial detainees. The dialogue, alongside the Presidential Pardon Committee, was launched by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in April 2022. Many people, including renowned political figures, businessmen and journalists, have also been granted presidential pardons since then.
Middle East
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Middle East
OPEN// FM reiterates Egypt's firm stance against Palestinian displacement
CAIRO, April 27 (MENA) – Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Expatriates Badr Abdelatty reaffirmed Egypt's firm rejection of any attempt to forcibly displace Palestinians, calling this stance a fundamental part of Egypt's strategy to defend the Palestinian cause. During a National Dialogue session with political leaders and public figures, the top diplomat stressed Egypt's support for a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine. He discussed Egypt's reconstruction plans in Gaza and reviewed Egypt's fixed positions on key regional issues, including those of Syria, Sudan, Libya, the Sahel, and the Horn of Africa, which are all central to Egypt's national security. Abdelatty noted the progress in Egypt's human rights status following the recent Universal Periodic Review at the UN, underlining the role of the National Dialogue in enhancing political participation. Participants praised the National Dialogue's contribution to strengthening Egypt's internal unity and foreign policy, agreeing to hold specialized sessions to deepen discussions on regional and international issues. (MENA) H A T/R E E
