NATIONAL DIALOGUE CONVENTION CONCLUDES WITH STRONG CALLS FOR INCLUSIVE REPRESENTATION

By Precious Mupenzi.

• Nearly 1 200 delegates gathered at UNISA in Pretoria for the inaugural National Dialogue Convention, which marked a pivotal step toward shaping a representative 50-member Steering Committee.
• Delegates emphasised inclusivity, calling for meaningful representation of youth, women, persons with disabilities, and marginalised groups in the process.
• The dialogue also confronted broader challenges such as accessibility, rural realities, environmental justice, corruption, migration, and gender-based violence.

The inaugural National Dialogue Convention concluded today at the University of South Africa in Pretoria, where nearly 1 200 delegates from across the country convened to deliberate on inclusivity, accountability, and citizen participation. The gathering marked a significant step toward establishing a 50-member Steering Committee that will guide the National Dialogue process, bringing together representatives from government, civil society, business, faith-based organisations, traditional leaders, and grassroots movements.
From the outset, delegates called for a Steering Committee that reflects the diversity of South African society. There were strong appeals for youth and women’s representation, disability inclusion, the recognition of sex workers’ rights, and the active participation of intersex activists.
“Look around this room. It is filled with older people, yet the majority of our population are youth and women. They must be at the table,” said one young woman activist.
Delegates stressed that gender balance must be meaningful rather than symbolic. Others raised the challenges of illegal immigration, linking undocumented migration to pressures on jobs, governance, and public services. Calls were made for balanced strategies that safeguard both human rights and socio-economic stability.
The voice of Disabled People South Africa, represented by Siyabulela Lucas, resonated strongly as he urged delegates to remain disciplined and committed to the process. “I urge delegates to recognise the opportunity before us. Let us be disciplined, allow ourselves to be led, and respect one another’s leadership. The people we represent back home are counting on us to honour this process.”
Accessibility also emerged as a pressing concern. One visibly frustrated delegate described the barriers faced by persons with disabilities: “This dialogue is a reflection of the space disabled people hold in society. In a room trapped with ableism, we cannot even move freely. Yesterday I could not participate because I was stuck behind a wall with stairs. At times, I felt like a stray dog, a nuisance, only ticked off on a checklist. If this dialogue is to mean anything, future venues must allow disabled people to air their voices equally.”
Delegates further called for inclusivity across other vulnerable groups. One speaker emphasised the neglect of older persons and those with albinism: “We must ensure the inclusion of older persons, persons with disabilities, and persons with albinism. People with albinism must be empowered to speak for themselves. And the elderly, who too often have no voice, must also be represented.”
Emerging economic sectors were highlighted, with a delegate from the cannabis industry calling for recognition of informal and small-scale economies. “If sex workers are represented, then surely the cannabis sector also warrants attention. It is part of the growing informal economy and deserves recognition,” the delegate said.
Youth activists strongly foregrounded environmental justice, warning against sidelining ecological concerns. “We all depend on water, rivers, the sun and the oceans, yet the environment keeps being treated as secondary. As young people, we cannot allow that,” one activist warned.
Senior traditional leader Nkosikazi Nobhongo Ngonyama from Umthatha emphasised the importance of incorporating rural perspectives into the dialogue. She noted that 74 percent of South Africa’s land falls under traditional leadership and cautioned that a ward-based approach could leave rural communities behind. “In my ward alone, there are 32 villages spread across 100 kilometres. To ensure inclusivity, dialogues should also take place at the level of Amakhosi and traditional authorities, so that village communities are not excluded,” she said.
Delegates also questioned the process of electing the Steering Committee, raising concerns about moving too quickly without adequate community involvement. “The risk is that we may end up with leaders we do not know or trust, without clarity on their capacity or experience. A bottom-up approach, starting at ward level and then progressing to district and national, would give the process real legitimacy,” one delegate suggested.
Others cautioned against political interference and emphasised that the dialogue must remain citizen-driven. “Self-selection and self-regulation are important because they affirm this as a people’s process. But we must guard against political grandstanding. At all times, it must be the people who govern,” another delegate added.
Beyond representation and process, the convention also addressed the country’s most pressing challenges. Delegates called for stronger community accountability to tackle gender-based violence and femicide, demanded transparent systems to root out corruption described as a cancer, and raised illegal immigration as a governance issue requiring urgent but rights-based solutions.
Throughout the proceedings, delegates reiterated that the National Dialogue must remain a genuine platform for citizens to define South Africa’s future. The Steering Committee, once constituted, is expected to embody this principle by balancing inclusivity with effectiveness.