WeeklySA_AdminVIEWPOINT: The outcomes geared to reflect collective input from the nation…
By Monk Nkomo
Inequality, poverty, unemployment, violence and social discord affected the lives of millions of South Africans and held back the country’s progress while the vestiges of our apartheid past were still in place.
This was said by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his opening remarks to the meeting with the National Dialogue Eminent Persons Group at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Friday. He welcomed them for the inaugural meeting and for taking on the responsibility of supporting and guiding the historic initiative.
Ramaphosa said over the course of the last 31 years, the country had made important progress in forging a united, democratic and just nation. The values, precepts and rights contained in our democratic Constitution were firmly embedded in our society. There were also robust institutions, a free media and an active civil society.
Significant advances in expanding opportunities and access to housing, land, basic services, education and health care had also been made. The country had begun to transform the society and the economy.
‘’And yet, the vestiges of our apartheid past remain. Inequality, poverty, unemployment, violence and social discord affect the lives of millions of South Africans and hold back our country’s progress. Our economy has not been growing and the number of unemployed people has been rising. In many areas, we have seen a deterioration in governance, a decline in the delivery of services and widespread corruption and wastage of public resources’’.
The President added that they had seen an increasing disengagement by many people from the democratic process, as witnessed by the turnout in the May 2024 general elections.
The National Dialogue was an opportunity to mobilise South Africans to address these challenges and restore the country to the path of transformation, development and progress.
‘’It is an opportunity to build on the achievements of the last three decades by defining a shared vision and a common programme to take the country forward. The National Dialogue draws on a rich tradition of discussion, debate and united action. At critical moments in our history, we have come together as a people to confront our difficulties and find solutions to our problems’’.
From the Freedom Charter to the drafting of the democratic Constitution, from the National Peace Accord to the country’s response to the devastating COVID pandemic, South Africans had pursued dialogue, cooperation and partnership.
‘’We are a diverse people, with different cultures, languages, political traditions and viewpoints. While this diversity makes for robust and often noisy debate, it does mean that we have a wealth of experiences and perspectives on which to draw. The National Dialogue seeks to provide a platform for this richness of ideas to be brought to bear on the challenges we face’’.
Ramaphosa said the National Dialogue did not displace the democratic processes mandated by the Constitution. Its outcomes could not supersede the electoral mandates that parties carried into Parliament and the Executive. It could , however, deliver a social compact that outlined clear commitments and responsibilities for different stakeholders, Government, political parties, business, labour, civil society, communities and individual citizens.
‘’The task that we have is to ensure that the outcomes of the National Dialogue can be institutionalised in a manner that informs and guides the direction our country takes. We have been clear that this dialogue must be as inclusive as possible. It cannot be partisan. It cannot favour one group or perspective over any other. It needs to be citizen-led and the outcomes need to reflect the collective views of the South African people’’.
While the Head of State had a constitutional mandate to convene a National Dialogue and while Government could use its capacity and resources to support and facilitate this process, the National Dialogue was neither Government- driven nor directed, Ramaphosa stressed.
Citizens must be able to freely and fully participate in the National Dialogue as individuals, in organised formations and through representative bodies. That is why the Eminent Persons Group was so important. It brought together prominent and respected individuals from across society, from many walks of life and many fields of endeavour.
‘’As Eminent Persons, you are not being asked to represent any particular constituency or organisation. Rather, you are being called upon to use your experience, acumen and energy to give South Africans confidence that participation in the National Dialogue can help to advance their interests and secure their future.
‘’We are asking you Eminent Persons to be champions of the National Dialogue, not cheerleaders. We expect that you will critically consider the progress and the conduct of the National Dialogue and provide advice where correction is required. If there are people being left out, we ask you to raise it. If there is confusion or misunderstanding or disarray, we ask you to help correct it. If there are groups that seek to commandeer the process, we ask that you alert us’’.
The President said they expected that the National Dialogue process would be contested, that it may be used to score political points, or to advance particular interests. They would not be surprised if there was scepticism or disinterest from some quarters.They had already been confronted by the challenge of misinformation and misrepresentation, whether on the cost of the National Dialogue or on who was running it.
‘’But that should not distract us from the work we have to do to give a platform to the millions of voices in our country, so that they may be heard and so that they may be counted. We should not fear criticism. We should welcome it. Criticism is a signal that South Africans care about the country and are invested in its future. Most critics want a National Dialogue that is effective and inclusive’’.
Dissenting voices, Ramaphosa added, made the debate richer and should make the outcomes more robust and meaningful. This meeting marked the start of the work of the Eminent Persons Group – work that promised to be both challenging and rewarding.
As the Eminent Persons Group came to understand its role and set out its tasks, South Africans must recognise and appreciate the long road and the hard work that had brought all its citizens to this point.
‘’Since a number of South Africans and former President Thabo Mbeki made a call for a National Dialogue in April last year, this call has been taken up by people and formations from across society.
The convening of a National Dialogue was endorsed by the ten political parties that constitute the Government of National Unity in their Statement of Intent and is incorporated into Government’s Medium Term Development Plan’’.
Ramaphosa said over the course of several months, the group of Foundations named for eminent stalwarts, working together with several civil society organisations, took an initiative to start advocating and mobilising for the National Dialogue.
This work had been fundamental to the conceptualisation and design of the National Dialogue. It now found organisational expression in the Preparatory Task Team, which brought together the Foundations, other civil society formations and The Presidency to make the practical arrangements for the first National Convention in August.
Today’s meeting, according to Ramaphosa, was an opportunity for the Eminent Persons to be briefed more fully on the National Dialogue, on the role of the Eminent Persons Group and on preparations for the first National Convention. Importantly, it was an opportunity for the Eminent Persons to ask questions and to share their reflections on the National Dialogue.
MIRROR Briefs
JUDICIARY DISPUTE CLAIMS
The office of the Chief Justice has invited Kwazulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lt-Gen. Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi to file a formal complaint after he alleged that there was a collusion between the Judiciary and criminals. In a statement released on Friday, the Office of the Chief Justice said it had noted Mkhwanazi’s recent remarks. “Such claims, made without substantiation, are extremely damaging to public confidence in the independence and integrity of our courts.
“In this regard, the Acting Secretary-General of the Office of the Chief Justice, has formally requested the National Commissioner of the SAPS and the Provincial Commissioner, Lt-Gen Mkhwanazi, to furnish evidence in support of these allegations and to lodge formal complaints, where warranted, with the Judicial Service Commission and or the Magistrates Commission.”
Chief Justice Mandisa Maya stated that the Judiciary stood firm on its commitment to accountability. “If any person, including Lt Gen Mkhwanazi, has credible evidence of unlawful or unethical conduct committed by a member of the Judiciary, they are urged to report such matters to the legally mandated structures of the State. Unsubstantiated allegations, however, regrettably undermine the administration of justice and weaken public trust in our institutions which are essential to upholding our constitutional democracy.” – Lehlohonolo Lehana
UNEMPLOYMENT A STATE OF DISASTER
Lesotho has declared a state of disaster over high unemployment rates. The 2024 Lesotho Labour Force Survey, released last week, put the country’s unemployment rate at 30%. Among people aged between 15 and 35, it was 39%. The previous survey was done in 2019 and reported unemployment at 22.5%.
The country’s unemployment became a national talking point last month after footage was circulated on social media showing thousands of unemployed young people flocking to the Lesotho Defence Force’s recruitment centres to interview for available positions. GroundUp recently reported on job cuts at textile factories due to looming tariffs imposed by the United States of America. The state of disaster was gazetted on Monday and would remain in effect for two years.
The government had promised to create 62,000 jobs and to launch a R400million initiative to fund youth-led businesses. Young people would now be able to register businesses for free. The costs of accessing government tender documents, which previously ranged between R500m and R3,000m had also been lowered. A new procurement policy had been introduced to ensure 40% of public contracts went to youth, women and people with disabilities. – Groundup
ZANDSPRUIT FAMILIES
ABANDONED
Residents of Zandspruit, an informal settlement in northern Johannesburg, live in dire conditions while about 700 serviced remained vacant for nearly six years and not being allocated to qualifying families. Promises by the City of Johannesburg to develop the area had not materialised. GroundUp visited Zandspruit last week and saw makeshift electrical cables hanging dangerously and cracked sewage pipes. Many roads are unpaved and muddy. Others are flooded with sewage. Many people lived in overcrowded shacks, surrounded by raw sewage. According to the residents, toilets were not emptied regularly by the municipality and were overflowing.
Last month, more than 100 people, including elderly residents, marched to Honeydew Police Station and handed a memorandum with their concerns to a representative of the Premier’s office.
In 2008, the City of Johannesburg outlined plans to develop Zandspruit in an Urban Development Framework, but this was never fully implemented. In 2019, to help reduce overcrowding, the municipality developed 701 serviced stands — plots of land with basic infrastructure such as water, electricity and sanitation. These were to be handed over to qualifying Zandspruit families to build their own homes.
But the project appeared to have stalled and the stands remained vacant. Residents said there was confusion about who the stands would be allocated to and when. – GroundUp
CROOKED CONTRACTOR
LOSES R67M
The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has secured a recovery order of R67 million against a plumbing contractor associated with the Department of Public Works, preventing a potential loss of R33 million. This action followed the Special Tribunal’s review, which led to the cancellation of contracts totalling R67 million that were awarded to Kroucamp Plumbers between 2015 and 2019. These contracts were for services related to vacuum pumping of septic tanks and emergency interventions for sewage blockages.
“The Tribunal has declared these contracts invalid and unlawful and has ordered the service provider to refund the funds received from the department in relation to these contracts,” a statement from the SIU read. According to the SIU, the comprehensive financial recovery included R46.6 million from invalid 2015 to 2017 contracts, and R20 million from unlawful 2017 to 2019 tenders.
The Tribunal also dismissed a counterclaim of R33 million, which Kroucamp Plumbers had submitted against the department. The order followed an investigation conducted by the SIU, which uncovered a complex network of corruption involving falsified bidding documents, undisclosed conflicts of interest and payments made to officials who manipulated the tendering process.
“Judge David Makhoba emphasised the gravity of the misconduct, indicating that the tenders breached constitutional procurement regulations and eroded public trust. – SAnews
