National Dialogue Exposed as a Talk Shop: No Roadmap, No Accountability, No Future

Following ActionSA’s decision not to participate in the National Dialogue Convention but to deploy observers, ActionSA has noted the outcomes of the Convention, which, instead of charting a clear way forward with a defined end state, quickly descended into a stage-managed talk shop that was heavy on rhetoric and empty on solutions.

The lack of proper organisation was glaring from the outset. It soon became clear that Ramaphosa’s Convention was nothing more than a venting session without answers, met with youth rejection and no plan to confront corruption.

From the start, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s weak and uninspired remarks set the tone for what became a complaints session masquerading as a national renewal project. Citizens once again listed the failures of the State, but this time, with no pathway to solutions.

Five Observations from the National Convention

1. Failure of Leadership: The President failed to inspire or outline a roadmap. He recycled excuses instead of presenting a vision for the country.
2. A Complaints Session, not a Problem-Solving Forum: Citizens expressed frustrations about collapsing services, poverty, and joblessness. Yet there was no mechanism to convert complaints into binding commitments or action.
3. Youth Disillusionment: Young South Africans rejected the process outright, questioning why they should waste time on leaders who have failed to deliver jobs, safety, or a better future.
4. Ward-Based Sessions as Political Theatre: The proposed ward sessions are already exposed as a ploy to revive dormant ANC branches under the guise of consultation, not as a genuine exercise in participatory democracy.
5. Critical Omissions – Corruption and Accountability: Most shockingly, there was no dedicated stream on corruption, the very cancer hollowing out South Africa’s democracy and destroying public trust. A dialogue that refuses to confront corruption is dishonest and incomplete.

The withdrawal of respected legacy foundations underscores the lack of credibility in this process. The inclusion of political parties also raises serious concerns, as only one party elevated to the steering committee will entrench partisan advantage instead of genuine multiparty collaboration, despite the ANC displaying a willingness not to be part of the political party steering committee representative.

And so, much like the Freedom Charter of 1955, the National Dialogue risks becoming nothing more than a wish list without a coherent plan. Without a binding framework, South Africans will again be left with empty promises written on borrowed paper.

South Africans don’t need another talk shop and venting session. They need leadership with the courage to define the destination, chart the roadmap and deliver on it. Until then, this National Dialogue will remain pure political theatre, heavy on words, but bankrupt on action.

Lerato Ngobeni MP

ActionSA Parliamentary Chief Whip