Ramaphosa’s national dialogue faces criticism as elitist talk shop

President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced the launch of a National Convention set for August 15, 2025, marking the formal start of a sweeping “National Dialogue” process aimed at forging a new social compact and redefining what it means to be South African.

The President claims the dialogue will develop a national ethos and shared value system to unify a divided country, plagued by economic inequality, high crime, unemployment, and political instability. But critics are already branding the initiative as out of touch, elitist, and likely to result in little more than symbolic gestures.

Ramaphosa has appointed a group of “Eminent Persons” to oversee the process, including former IEC chair Dr Brigalia Bam, Justice Edwin Cameron, Springbok rugby captain Siya Kolisi, and humanitarian Dr Imtiaz Sooliman of Gift of the Givers.

While the group brings gravitas, analysts argue it lacks meaningful representation of ordinary South Africans.

Political analyst Siyabonga Ntombela from the University of KwaZulu-Natal noted that many in the group are long-time associates of Ramaphosa, including former negotiator Roelf Meyer, raising concerns that the process will serve the President’s political image more than the public interest.

“These individuals are respected, yes, but they don’t reflect the everyday struggles of ordinary citizens. This may end up being another of Cyril’s talk shops that yields no real results,” Ntombela said.

The dialogue has also conspicuously excluded political heavyweights and vocal critics of Ramaphosa, including DA Federal Council Chair Helen Zille and former President Jacob Zuma.

Their respective parties — the Democratic Alliance and MK Party — secured second and third place in the recent general election, yet were left out of the process.

Zuma did initiate dialogues related to the National Development Plan (NDP) during his presidency. National dialogues are not a new thing; the National Development Plan 2030, adopted in 2012 under Zuma’s administration, was designed as a long-term strategy to eliminate poverty and reduce inequality in South Africa.

To give the NDP public traction, Zuma's administration held dialogues, public consultations, and stakeholder engagements with various sectors of society, including business, civil society, labour unions, and traditional leaders.

Foundations named after former presidents Thabo Mbeki, Nelson Mandela, and Ahmed Kathrada— each with a track record of hosting their policy dialogues — were also excluded. Analysts suggest this may be due to their vocal criticism of Ramaphosa’s leadership, especially regarding corruption and poor governance.

“They’ve spoken out against Ramaphosa the same way they once did against Zuma,” said Ntombela. “Their exclusion is telling.”

Professor Theo Neethling expressed disappointment at the lack of transparency surrounding the dialogue. “Before we get carried away with enthusiasm, we must ask: Who exactly constitutes the 'national' in this National Dialogue? Who chose these participants? And why is youth representation so conspicuously absent?”

Neethling added that involving the business sector is important, but warned that the effort could be meaningless if not backed by action.

“Without concrete implementation plans and inclusive consultation, this initiative risks becoming yet another talk shop.”

Despite these concerns, Ramaphosa insists the dialogue will be a phased, participatory process. The August convention will be followed by provincial and sectoral consultations, leading up to a second national convention in 2026, where a national programme of action will be adopted.

But South Africans have heard such promises before. Previous dialogues and commissions have often ended in reports gathering dust while the country’s challenges deepened.“This is not our first national conversation,” said Ntombela.

“We’ve been here before—with summits, commissions, and imbizos that resulted in no change. Until the President starts engaging real power-brokers and grassroots voices, we’re just going through the motions again.”