Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has reiterated its dismissal of the national dialogue set for later this week an expensive “talk shop”, calling instead for urgent reforms to revive the economy which party leader John Steenhuisen said was in “the intensive care unit”.
The government of national unity (GNU) — within which the DA is the second largest party — should act decisively instead of spending “hundreds of millions of rand” on discussions that would not deliver tangible results, Steenhuisen told a media briefing in Johannesburg on Monday.
“The fact that others are now withdrawing from the national dialogue shows that it is an illegitimate talk shop. South Africans do not need more dialogue; they need real delivery. The DA will relentlessly use our influence inside the GNU and parliament to push for these reforms. It is time for urgent action. We must create economic growth and jobs,” he said.
His comments came days after several legacy organisations announced they would not participate in the dialogue or the work of its preparatory task team.
These include the Steve Biko, Thabo Mbeki, Chief Albert Luthuli, Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy, FW de Klerk and Oliver and Adelaide Tambo foundations, as well as the Strategic Dialogue Group. The organisations cited insufficient funds and not enough time to prepare for the first national convention and a shift towards government control of the programme.
“We feel the organisation of the matter was not entirely honest as to where the funds will be directed. This is due to our belief that core principles meant to underpin the whole National Dialogue have been violated in the rush to host a gathering on 15 August,” they said in a joint statement.
President Cyril Ramaphosa first publicly mooted the idea of a national dialogue at his inauguration last year, after the general elections in which his ANC lost its national parliamentary majority, forcing it into a 10-party coalition that includes the former official opposition, the DA.
Last month National Dialogue steering committee chairperson Nkosinathi Biko rejected criticism that the initiative is a money and time-wasting talk-shop, saying the “society-wide” and “citizen-led” process from August to March 2026 would result in a national compact and plan of action to support the National Development Plan, which aims to eliminate poverty and reduce inequality by 2030.
Besides the DA, other critics have also slammed the proposed R700 million plus budget for the initiative, with labour federation Cosatu calling it “astonishing” and a “reckless error” that should be scrapped.
Cosatu said the idea, pushed by a few officials, was “imprudent and insensitive” amid deep public frustration, with workers already facing spending cuts on health, education, policing and home affairs services, as well as rising living costs and an economy crippled by unemployment, poverty and inequality.
Following the withdrawal of the foundations from the preparatory task team last week, a new convention organising committee, including representatives from civil society, National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac), the University of South Africa (Unisa) and the presidency, has taken over preparations.
The convention organisers confirmed the first national convention of the National Dialogue will take place on 15 and 16 August at Unisa’s main campus. It will host 1 000 delegates from more than 30 sectors, with special weighting for marginalised groups including youth, women and LGBTQI+ people. Some 557 participants from 28 sectors have confirmed attendance.
Costs have been reduced through in-kind contributions, national convention spokesperson Zwoitwaho Nevhutalu said, adding: “Unisa is providing venues, catering, audio-visual services, printing and other logistics free of charge.
“Additional support includes donated transport and a digital platform for the dialogue. The main expenses are being covered from Nedlac and presidency budgets, in line with the Public Finance Management Act.”
The plan is to hold at least three dialogues in each of the country’s 4,300 wards, supplemented by sectoral discussions and the media, Nevhutalu said. A mobile app will allow the public to contribute and track outcomes.
“The outcomes framework of the public dialogues will focus on radical change, rapid response and rebuilding the nation. We must not allow any grouping to control a process that should truly belong to citizens,” he said.
For the DA, the time for talking has passed.
“It is now time for the majority of South Africans to taste the freedom of a new democracy through a job, not jobs and tenders only for the politically elite,” Steenhuisen told journalists.
He argued that dismantling the Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment Act (broad-based BEE), the Employment Equity Act and the Expropriation Act, alongside taking a stronger stance against corruption, would open the economy to more meaningful growth.
“These laws were intended to advance transformation, but they have increasingly entrenched elite enrichment, deterred investment, and blocked small businesses from accessing opportunities,” he said.
But last week ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula said the party “would not be coerced” into reversing its “progressive transformation laws”, echoing a position stated by Ramaphosa earlier this year.
The president told parliament that the coalition government’s commitment to broad-based BEE remained “steadfast” and aligned with the Constitution’s equality clause, which allows for measures to advance those disadvantaged by unfair discrimination.
“If the privileged class tried to fight back against economic redress, that would be unconstitutional,” he said.
ActionSA has also signalled it may withdraw from the dialogue, citing public dissatisfaction and the withdrawal of respected foundations.
“We are not prepared to lend credibility to what many already believe to be a window-dressing exercise that risks becoming a government-directed platform,” the party’s Athol Trollip said, describing the process as “crumbling” and losing credibility.