WeeklySA_AdminEnsure: Community representatives must be held accountable and ensure that institutions fulfilled their obligations
By Monk Nkomo
The struggle for freedom from the nightmare of apartheid proved that unity in diversity was not an abstract slogan but a powerful force for transformation, according to President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Addressing the first National Convention of the National Dialogue at the University of South Africa in Tshwane, Ramaphosa said history had taught us that nations were not defined solely by their difficulties but by how they responded to challenges they faced.
He welcomed those in attendance to the historic gathering to mark the first gathering of the National Convention of the National Dialogue – a space where they would confront their realities openly, respectfully and constructively. More than 1000 people from over 200 organizations across all sectors of society, attended the event.
‘’This is not a partisan platform. This is a national platform. Here, no voice is too small and no perspective is too inconvenient to be heard. We are gathered to listen to each other, to understand one another and to chart a common path forward for our country. We meet at a time of profound challenges: economic hardship, unemployment, inequality, growing poverty and a crisis of confidence in our institutions’’, said Ramaphosa.
They were meeting at a time when the world was rapidly changing and the ability to adapt and renew ourselves would define the next generation.
The National Dialogue, said Ramaphosa, must be about citizens taking responsibility for their future. They must be able to hold their public representatives accountable and ensure that all public institutions fulfilled their responsibilities.
‘’ Let the Convention be a call to every South African to participate , to be heard and be counted. 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’’.
Those in attendance must aim to emerge from this process with a shared national vision : one that was bold enough to inspire , yet practical enough to implement. ‘’ Let us speak with courage, listen with humility and negotiate with goodwill. Let us be reminded that our disagreements are small compared to the magnitude of what we can achieve together.’’
Gathered in this hall, Ramaphosa added, were people from all across our land, people from all walks of life, people of all races, all classes, all languages and cultures. Gathered here, at this National Convention, were farmers and informal traders, civic activists and policy makers, traditional leaders and waste pickers, industrial workers, unemployed men and women, unemployed young people, unemployed graduates, religious leaders, business people and public servants.
There were young people and older persons, men and women, people from informal settlements and rural villages. There are people with disabilities. There are survivors of various forms of violence. There are artists, sports people and cultural activists. In this National Convention had gathered the rich diversity of the people of this country.
‘’Yet, although we are different in many ways, although we represent different experiences and hold different views, there is one thing we have in common. We are all South Africans. We are, each one of us, sons and daughters of the same soil. We share a common past. We share the same inheritance of division, of inequality and of injustice. We share the same pride at ending the crime of apartheid and establishing a constitutional democracy. We also share a common future’’.
Ramaphosa said each one of South Africans, regardless of their differences, were committed to work together to build the future of which they all dreamt. They had chosen to be at the event because they believed in the power of dialogue and united action.
‘’We believe that if we share our concerns and fears, we can conquer them. If we understand the challenges we face, we can overcome them. If we know what hurts us, we can heal. If we know what divides us, we can unite. We gather here today, in all our diversity, to launch a National Dialogue. We are embarking on a process that will launch a million conversations’’.
Across the length and breadth of South Africa, people would and must meet to talk of what worried them, what gave them hope and how they thought their lives and our country could be better. This initiative was about what all South Africans must do – together – to make their lives and country better.
The National Dialogue was a call to debate and to discuss, said Ramaphosa. More importantly, the National Dialogue was a call to action. It was a call to all South Africans to seize this moment for change and progress. It was a call to build a society in which there was a place for everyone, where the country’s wealth was shared by all. A South Africa that truly belonged to all who lived in it.
Their task was to prepare for the thousands of public dialogues that would happen in communities across the country over the next six to eight months. They were at the event to consider some of the themes that may arise in these discussions, understanding that it was ultimately the people of this country that would determine the issues that should be discussed.
Ramaphosa said they sought to ensure that they gave the space to South Africans to define the outcome of the National Dialogue process – so that these thousands of conversations could be drawn together into a clear vision for the country and an agreed programme of action into the future.
‘’Through the National Dialogue process, we hope to arrive at a social compact that will outline the role and responsibilities of all of us – as citizens, as the arms of the state, as business, labour, traditional leaders, religious bodies, civil society, activist and civic organisations. This National Dialogue must be about citizens taking responsibility for their future.’’
