President Cyril Ramaphosa has emphasised the importance of organising the national dialogue at the lowest possible cost to the taxpayer while avoiding unnecessary spending.
Ramaphosa was speaking at the opening of the dialogue’s first national convention hosted by the University of South Africa (Unisa) in Pretoria on Friday.
The head of state said concerns had been raised about the budget of the dialogue, which was initially estimated at R740-million, highlighting that this will not be allowed.
“As soon as I saw the number, I said I shall not allow the taxpayers’ money that amounts to R740-million to be utilised,” Ramaphosa said.
“We can make this dialogue much more affordable; a significant reduction in costs should be the norm.” That is what we did.”
Plan to reduce costs
He explained that Unisa had helped curb the costs by offering its facilities for free and believes this should be done with every other venue that will be hosting the National Dialogue across the country.
He deemed this an effective approach to curbing the costs of the dialogue, which is meant to address the challenges facing citizens.
“We will travel across the country and avoid hiring expensive halls, hotels, and similar venues.”
“We will want to hold the various dialogues in schools; we will hold them in churches, not in beer halls. We plan to host the dialogues under the shade of trees and other outdoor spaces.
“This is how we plan to reduce costs: the people of South Africa do not want us to spend excessive money on the conversations we will have,” he said.
He said during the dialogue, South Africa must face tough questions about inequality, discrimination, and basic services.
These include why women still fear violence from men, why so many people live in deep poverty while others live in enormous wealth, and why a white child’s opportunities are still far better than a black child’s decades after democracy.
Ramaphosa also questioned why women are paid less than men for the same work, why the LGBTQI+ community still faces stigma and harassment despite the Bill of Rights, and why clinics run out of medicine or taps run dry.
Dialogue must be about citizens
He said these are not just questions to be asked and answered but also problems that must be tackled by everyone, from individuals and communities to elected leaders and public officials.
The National Dialogue will debate and discuss issues while also acting on the matters at hand, he said.
“This National Dialogue must be about citizens taking responsibility for their future. Through the dialogues, people must be able to attend to the challenges they face where they live, work, or study.
“They must be able to hold their public representatives accountable and ensure that all public institutions fulfil their responsibilities.
“This National Convention is the moment at which the people of South Africa take over the National Dialogue.”
