National Dialogue: 'The challenge is, whose voices are getting heard and whose are not?' - Sanusha Naidu, political analyst

Cape Talk's Clarence Ford speaks to political analyst Sanusha Naidu.

Listen to their conversation in the audio clip below:

Reflect, reset and reimagine South Africa's future.

That's what President Cyril Ramaphosa is hoping the country's National Dialogue will achieve.

South Africa will hold its First National Convention from 15 to 17 August in Pretoria, launching a nationwide National Dialogue aimed at tackling the country’s deepening social and economic challenges.

ALSO READ: National Dialogue: We need to look at the unfinished business of SA - Roelf Meyer

"I know there's been a lot of views and mixed signals about the National Dialogue... the cost of the dialogue, the value proposition of it and what will be the outcome... we are in a state of structural change, from where we were 33 years ago... now you have to think about how times have changed and you do have different demographic cohorts… so their circumstances, their interests are also changing... so this discussion that we're talking about, yes, I understand that there are a lot of internal dynamics that are coming to the fore, and I am not sure how it will playout next week." 

- Sanusha Naidu, political analyst 

The event follows Ramaphosa’s June announcement and brings together representatives from government, political parties, civil society, business, labour, traditional leaders, and youth organisations.

The Convention will serve as the starting point for a broader, people-led process designed to forge a new social compact and shape a long-term vision for the country. 

Issues on the agenda include poverty, inequality, gender-based violence, land reform, governance, and nation-building.

The outcome is expected to provide a clear roadmap for continued public engagement, guiding the next phase of South Africa’s development beyond 2030.

The process will be overseen by an Eminent Persons Group, tasked with ensuring that the dialogue is inclusive and transparent. 

"The challenge here is... what are the competing interests between the actors, not just government, but also the foundations, also the stakeholders that are coming into the National Dialogue and how they are going to utilise that space? So, you can be on the one hand, extremely cynical and say it is about finding some level of credibility and legitimacy, but at the same time, you can also be extremely cynical on the other end of the spectrum, and say at this point in time, maybe it's also about a legitimacy for the GNU." 

- Sanusha Naidu, political analyst 

The National Dialogue's R700 million price tag is facing intense criticism. 

ALSO READ: National Dialogue is a waste of money; we know the issues – Project Youth SA 

"The challenge is, whose voices are getting heard, and whose voices are not getting heard?" 

- Sanusha Naidu, political analyst

Scroll up to listen to the full conversation.