By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The National Convention, a precursor to the National Dialogue, is taking place in Pretoria at the University of South Africa (UNISA) in Pretoria on August 15 and 16.
This comes amid mounting criticism of the dialogue process from political parties, civil society groups, and prominent legacy foundations.
The National Convention will set a broad agenda and fine-tune the process for public engagements, according to the PTT. Hundreds of community meetings are due to take place all over the country during the dialogue process.
Groups such as the Thabo Mbeki Foundation and the Desmond and Leah Tutu Foundation cited a long list of issues, from the tight timeline and lack of preparation to internal disagreements in the PTT and what they see as too much government control.
There has also been growing resistance from political parties, including the DA, the second-largest party in the government of national unity, which has withdrawn from the process.
Despite concerns that the government rather than the people are driving the process, former politician and Codesa negotiator Roelf Meyer has insisted that everyone must be allowed to speak freely, even if it means criticising politicians or government.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has also defended the National Dialogue, which critics say has lost credibility after foundations disagreed with the preparatory task team and pulled out from convention, calling the process exclusive and government top-heavy.
Ramaphosa argued that the dialogue was the only tent to host legitimate people-centred conversations.
The president first publicly mooted the idea of a national dialogue at his inauguration last year, after the general elections in which his ANC lost its national parliamentary majority, forcing it into a 10-party coalition.
Speaking at the convention on Friday, Ramaphosa said participants would have “difficult conversations” about questions such as: Why do South African women have to live in fear of men? Why do so many people live in abject poverty while so few live lives of opulence?
“Through this process we want our people to meet in homes and community halls. We want them to meet in churches, synagogues, mosques and temples. Our people must meet in schools and lecture halls, in boardrooms and on the shop floor, on the pathways of our villages and the streets of our townships and cities,” he said
“We will meet online. We will call into radio stations. We will debate on television. We will share our views and make our suggestions without hesitation. We will be direct and honest.”
He noted that the dialogue was taking place during a time of economic hardship, unemployment, inequality, growing poverty and a “crisis of confidence” in institutions and when the world “is rapidly changing and our ability to adapt and renew ourselves will define the next generation”.
But he said South Africa’s history of struggle against apartheid proved that dialogue can be a “powerful force for transformation”, describing the National Dialogue as “a call to debate and to discuss” and “a call to action”.
“It is a call to all South Africans to seize this moment for change and progress. It is a call to build a society in which there is a place for everyone, where the country’s wealth is shared by all — a South Africa that truly belongs to all who live in it.”
Dialogue is not a new phenomenon for South Africa, and he urged all South Africans to participate.
“This Convention should not be remembered for fine speeches alone, but for the process it begins towards a new roadmap — a framework for political stability, economic renewal, social cohesion and a capable, ethical State,” he said.