Pretoria: The inaugural National Convention of the National Dialogue has concluded with a resounding call for citizens to take ownership of shaping South Africa's future. Delivering the closing address, Co-Deputy Chairperson of the Eminent Persons Group, Lindiwe Mazibuko, highlighted the extraordinary spirit of South Africans, emphasizing the importance of citizen-led initiatives in driving change.
According to South African Government News Agency, the two-day event, held at the University of South Africa (Unisa) in Pretoria, gathered government officials, civil society members, faith leaders, youth representatives, and communities to deliberate on pressing national issues. Mazibuko underscored that the Convention was a foundational step towards a long-term citizen-led process, aiming to set the agenda for the future.
The second day featured a feedback session from the nine Dialogue Labs, which engaged over 1,200 delegates. These labs identified significant issues and discussed values, expectations, and methodologies for the National Dialogue. Mazibuko connected the dialogue to South Africa's history of consensus-building, drawing parallels to past milestones like CODESA negotiations and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, emphasizing the democratic foundation of dialogue.
Citizens expressed a demand for real action on various issues such as jobs, safety, corruption, education, gender-based violence, and healing from historical trauma. Mazibuko acknowledged the complexity of these challenges but expressed the Eminent Persons Group's commitment to supporting the process, emphasizing the collective determination to tackle these issues.
The Convention's outcomes will guide a national agenda-setting process, placing communities at the forefront of shaping solutions. Although there was disagreement over sectoral exclusions, it was agreed that delegates would propose names for a 30-member Steering Committee, intended to ensure broad-based representation and continuity.
The Steering Committee will consist of 22 sectoral representatives, three representatives from the Preparatory Task Team, two representatives of the Head of State, and three additional co-opted members with relevant experience. This structure aims to facilitate the nationwide public dialogues at sectoral and community levels and outline key themes for the National Dialogue.