NATIONAL DIALOGUE DAY 2: HEALING AND COLLECTIVE SOLUTIONS

By Cuma Pantshwa.

• Delegates agreed that South Africa must first address inequality, trauma, and broken trust before sustainable solutions are possible. Healing, guided by trauma-informed practices and Ubuntu, was seen as both a key goal and basis for dialogue.
• The dialogue sessions worked to consolidate issues into a unified Problem Statement, framing national challenges and guiding participants toward practical, people-driven solutions.
• A steering committee was constituted to ensure inclusivity and accountability in the process. Its mandate is to oversee the citizen-led dialogue roadmap and consolidate outcomes into a People’s Compact, uniting government, business, labour, civil society, and communities in co-creating commitments for South Africa’s renewal.

The second day of the National Dialogue Convention, currently underway at Unisa, has been dedicated to reflecting on Day 1 and laying the groundwork for the months ahead. The National Dialogue, designed as a citizen-led process, is premised on creating safe spaces for South Africans to confront the past, interrogate present challenges, and collectively envision the future they want.

Day 1 introduced the DREAMS process, a participatory method where delegates articulated their aspirations for renewal and change in South Africa. From these sessions a familiar refrain emerged: Healing . Delegates agreed that before the nation can rebuild trust and co-create solutions, it must acknowledge the deep wounds of history, inequality, and intergenerational trauma that continue to shape people’s lives.
“We are a traumatised society and cannot ignore the fact that we have intergenerational trauma,” one participant reflected.

The morning plenary of Day 2 confirmed that a full report covering both days will be drafted and made publicly available online. This aligns with the principle of inclusivity that underpins the Dialogue Roadmap, ensuring that every South African has access to the insights, themes, and commitments being generated in the process.

Crafting a Problem Statement

Reflections from the Dialogue Labs (termed “the downloading process”) highlighted that their central purpose is to craft a Problem Statement. This document will consolidate the substantive issues raised across sessions into a single framing document, supported by an information sheet outlining the various thematic or discussion areas. By clearly naming the problem, delegates argued South Africans can move beyond surface debates and begin generating practical, people-led solutions

The discussions in the rooms were at times robust, heated and deeply challenging, but this was recognised as a strength rather than a weakness. Delegates welcomed the opportunity to grapple honestly with South Africa’s difficulties, noting that disagreement is part of the democratic process when it is grounded in respect and a shared desire for progress.
As one participant expressed:
“Because the people at all times must and always must govern,” capturing the essence of the National Dialogue as a truly people-driven process.
Another reminded the gathering:
“We can’t just talk. The aim of the dialogues at district level will be for us to co-create new ideas and solve complex challenges.”

Healing as a Central Theme

The emphasis on healing emerged as the most critical outcome of Day 1. Healing was understood not only at the individual level, but also at the level of communities, families, and the nation. Delegates described it as both a prerequisite and an outcome of meaningful dialogue.

Ubuntu was repeatedly invoked as the foundation for this healing process. Creating safe spaces where citizens feel heard, valued, and respected is essential to rebuilding social trust. As participants agreed, “All our dialogues need to be geared towards healing and therefore we recognise that we must first hold space for that to happen.”

Ms Nomfundo Mogapi, Founder and CEO of the Centre for Mental Wellness and Leadership added; “Addressing our society’s woundedness should influence both the way dialogues are held and the content, ensuring they are trauma-informed and geared towards healing. Solutions must integrate both meeting people’s basic needs and addressing their brokenness, with facilitators trained to hold spaces that promote healing”.

She emphasised that dialogues must draw from a trauma-informed lens and stressed the importance of integrating both “bread” (basic needs) and “brokenness” (healing) together”. She concluded by highlighting the need for facilitators on the ground to be trained in trauma-informed practice to ensure dialogues genuinely promote healing.

Building Towards a Peoples Compact

Day 2 also marked an important technical milestone with the establishment of the steering committee. This body will guide the citizen-led dialogue roadmap, ensuring that the process remains participatory, inclusive, and accountable. It will also oversee the consolidation of outcomes into a People’s Compact (a collective agreement) capturing the commitments of citizens, government, business, labour, civil society, and families to work together in healing divisions and rebuilding South Africa.

This work aligns with the objectives of the Convention, which are to:
•⁠ ⁠Kick off the National Dialogue process in a way that enables inclusive dialogue and difficult conversations.
•⁠ ⁠Introduce the citizen-led public dialogue process.
•⁠ ⁠Ensure the engagement of civil society, labour, business, government and political parties.
•⁠ ⁠Model dialogues in communities and citizen-initiated forums.
•⁠ ⁠Agree on organising principles and processes for ward-based, citizen-initiated and sectoral dialogues.
•⁠ ⁠Introduce the Eminent Persons Group that will provide moral authority and guidance.
•⁠ ⁠Introduce the Steering Committee tasked with driving the process forward.

Looking Ahead

Thirty years into democracy, South Africa continues to face deep social, political, and economic challenges. The National Dialogue is emerging as a space where these realities can be confronted honestly, and where new social compacts can be forged. The dialogues are about recognising the centrality of healing in the national project.
The process has begun—and with it, the collective responsibility of all South Africans to participate in shaping a shared future. As the Dialogue Roadmap reminds us: “The National Dialogue is a process of learning by doing, sharing, problem-solving and listening to each other as we co-create the Peoples Compact.”