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EFF said it will engage in the dialogue but insists the country already held one in May 2024.
EFF leader Julius Malema. Picture: Neil McCartney/The Citizen
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s call for a national convention to set the agenda for a national dialogue has drawn mixed reactions, with the EFF slamming it as a “meaningless publicity stunt by a limping President”.
In his announcement on Tuesday night, Ramaphosa stated that the national dialogue has been discussed by various national leaders and other stakeholders for some time.
National dialogue
The national convention is scheduled to take place on 15 August.
Ramaphosa mentioned that the national dialogue will drive progress toward the country’s Vision 2030 and lay the foundation for the next phase of South Africa’s National Development Plan.
“We expect that the National Convention will finalise a compact that outlines the roles and responsibilities of all South Africans.”
National dialogue nothing new
The EFF said while it will participate in all aspects of the national dialogue, including attending every government programme, South Africa had its national dialogue in May 2024.
“That national dialogue led to the people of this country reducing the former liberation movement into just one of many political parties in this country without a majority mandate to lead, because they have failed!”
‘False impression’
The party said the national dialogue is yet “another attempt to give the country a false impression of work being done.”
“The EFF views the pronouncement of a national dialogue as a meaningless publicity stunt by a limping president who is leading a limping former liberation movement.
“Furthermore, the EFF rejects completely and with contempt the appointed individuals who will form part of what is referred to as Eminent Persons, as there is nothing eminent about most of these individuals,” the red berets said.
MK party rejects national dialogue
The MK party has also rejected the national dialogue announced by Ramaphosa.
MK party spokesperson national spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela said the “political elite have chosen to speak over, rather than with, the people of South Africa”.
“We reject this dialogue as a tone-deaf charade engineered by a regime clinging to power, desperately trying to manufacture consent through elitist backroom dealings.
“This is not a “national” dialogue. It is a staged theatre for the political elite, the boardroom billionaires and the academic aristocracy who dine comfortably while our people are forced to scavenge in the ruins of what was once a dream called democracy,” Ndhlela said.
‘Last ditch attempt’
Ndhlela added that the national dialogue is “a last-ditch attempt by a morally bankrupt government to preserve its legitimacy through a carefully curated spectacle of inclusion.
“We reject it. Our people do not need dialogues; they need jobs. They need land. They need dignity. They need a government that listens, not lectures.”
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‘Long overdue step’
Good Party secretary-general Brett Herron said Ramaphosa’s announcement of a national dialogue is a “long-overdue step toward renewing South Africa’s social contract”.
“The president’s recognition that South Africans from every sector of society must have a voice in shaping our future is significant. However, we must guard against a process that becomes performative or elite-driven.
“A truly people-led dialogue must reach beyond the boardrooms and podiums, into townships, rural villages, informal settlements, and inner-city blocks, where the most urgent issues are felt most acutely, Herron said.
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‘Forging unity’
The ANC welcomed Ramaphosa’s announcement of a national dialogue, stating the initiative marks an important national effort to “forge unity, rebuild trust, and renew the country’s collective commitment to social and economic transformation”.
National spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu said the ANC has always placed dialogue at the centre of the struggle for liberation and nation-building.
“The ANC calls on its members, alliance partners, mass democratic formations, and all South Africans to actively participate in this National Dialogue. It is through open, principled engagement that we will define a renewed national vision and construct a new social compact anchored in shared responsibility”.
Mbeki proposal
The national dialogue was first proposed by former president Thabo Mbeki on the eve of the country’s national and provincial elections in May 2024.
Mbeki, while on the campaign trail, suggested to the ANC that it convene a national convention after the elections to address the country’s problems.
Diversity
Ramaphosa said the national dialogue will represent the diversity of the South African nation, including representatives from government, political parties, civil society, business, labour, traditional leaders, religious leaders, cultural workers, sports organisations, women, youth and community voices, among others.
The president said South Africans will, in the months following the national convention, be encouraged to be in dialogue to define the nation’s path into the future.
He stated that the views, concerns, and proposals that emerge from this conversation will be compiled and presented at a second National Convention, scheduled to take place at the beginning of 2026.
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