PRESIDENT CALLS FOR NATIONAL CONVENTION TO TAKE PLACE IN AUGUST

• ⁠A National Convention will be held in August 2025 to lay the foundation for the country’s much-anticipated National Dialogue.
• A team of eminent persons has been set up to guide and champion the process.
• In announcing the convention, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the idea of holding a dialogue is not a new concept in South Africa: “In many ways, having dialogues is part of our DNA as a nation.”

President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for a National Convention to be held on Friday, 15 August 2025.
The convention, representing the diversity of people within the country, will set the agenda for the much-discussed National Dialogue.
The National Dialogue has been long in the making. “This initiative has been gathering great support and enthusiasm since it was proposed last year. It has been endorsed by a wide range of formations across society,” President Ramaphosa announced on 11 June 2025.
Discussions with various entities have been held over the last few months, considering the purpose and the form of the National Dialogue.
“In the wake of these consultations, there is broad agreement that given the challenges our country is facing at the moment, we should convene the National Dialogue.”

Dialogues are part of South Africa’s DNA

The president pointed out that the idea of holding a dialogue is not a new concept in South Africa. “In many ways, having dialogues is part of our DNA as a nation.”
He noted: “At every important moment in the history of our country, we have come together as a nation to confront our challenges and forge a path into the future in dialogue with one another.”
It was through dialogue that the country was able to deal with the challenges that the apartheid system caused, and it was through dialogue that South Africa achieved peace and overcame violence, establishing a democracy and ending apartheid.
“Following the negotiations process, we used dialogue to start building a united nation where once there had only been conflict and division.
“We achieved all this because we came together in dialogue to discuss our difficulties, our concerns, our hopes and our aspirations as a people.”
The president added that for more than 30 years, South Africans had worked together to realise the promise of the country’s democratic Constitution.

Tackling the challenges facing South Africa

Although South Africa had made great strides as a nation, expanding freedom, deepening democracy and building a better life for millions, persistent challenges remained:
•⁠ ⁠Poverty, unemployment and inequality are deep wounds that prevent South Africa from reaching its full potential as a nation and as a country;
•⁠ ⁠Millions of people are underemployed and unemployed. Many earn wages that cannot sustain them or their families; and
•⁠ ⁠Crime, gender-based violence and corruption are prevalent across society.
“We are called upon at this moment to direct all our efforts to build a thriving, inclusive economy that creates jobs and opportunities,” the president said.
“We are called upon to build safer communities and to create a better future for our children,” President Ramaphosa added.
“We are also called upon to give all sectors of our society – men and women, young and old, persons with disabilities, LGBTQI community, and urban and rural people – a voice to determine how we address the problems of today and build the South Africa we want for future generations.”
An inclusive, people-led, society-wide National Dialogue would allow South Africans to reflect on the state of the country to reimagine their future.
The National Dialogue will allow all South Africans, from all walks of life, to come together and help shape the next chapter of the country’s democracy.

Seeking a shared vision

“Through the National Dialogue, we seek a shared vision of what it means to be a South African and develop a new national ethos and common value system,” said President Ramaphosa.
“It is an opportunity to forge a new social compact for the development of our country, a compact that will unite all South Africans, with clear responsibilities for different stakeholders, government, business, labour, civil society, men and women, communities and citizens.”
It is anticipated that the National Dialogue will drive progress towards our Vision 2030 and lay the foundation for the next phase of South Africa’s National Development Plan.
The National Dialogue itself is not an event, it will be a participatory process that unfolds in phases, from local consultations and sectoral engagements to provincial and national gatherings.
The National Convention in August 2025 will be a representative gathering, bringing together government, political parties, civil society, business, labour, traditional leaders, religious leaders, cultural workers, sports organisations, women, youth and community voices, among others.
Through their various political, social and other formations, in their workplaces, in places of worship, communities, villages and sites of learning, South Africans will, in the months following the National Convention, be encouraged to take part in the dialogue to define the nation’s path into the future.
The views, concerns and proposals that will emerge from this conversation will be brought together at a second National Convention, planned for the beginning of next
year.
“This second National Convention will reinforce our shared values and adopt a common vision and programme of action for our country into the future,” the president added.

Eminent persons’ group to guide the process

The National Convention will finalise a compact that outlines the roles and responsibilities of all South Africans.
President Ramaphosa had appointed an eminent persons’ group to guide and champion the process.
“These are leading figures in our society, reflecting the great diversity of our nation, with a proven commitment to the advancement of social cohesion and nation-building.”
The group includes:
•⁠ ⁠Dr Brigalia Bam, former Independent Electoral Commission chairperson,
•⁠ ⁠Robbie Brozin, entrepreneur and businessperson,
•⁠ ⁠Judge Edwin Cameron, former Constitutional Court judge,
•⁠ ⁠Manne Dipico, former Northern Cape Premier,
•⁠ ⁠Dr Desiree Ellis, Banyana Banyana coach and football legend,
•⁠ ⁠Ela Gandhi, peace activist and stalwart,
•⁠ ⁠Professor Nomboniso Gasa, researcher and rural activist,
•⁠ ⁠Bobby Godsell, business leader,
•⁠ ⁠Dr John Kani, award-winning actor,
•⁠ ⁠Mr Siya Kolisi, Springbok captain and world champion,
•⁠ ⁠Mia le Roux, Miss South Africa 2024,
•⁠ ⁠His Grace Bishop Barnabas Lekganyane, leader of the Zion Christian Church,
•⁠ ⁠His Grace Bishop Engenas Lekganyane, leader of the St Engenas Zion Christian
•⁠ ⁠Church,
•⁠ ⁠Reverend Thabo Makgoba, Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town,
•⁠ ⁠Professor Tinyiko Maluleke, Chairperson of the National Planning Commission,
•⁠ ⁠Dr Barbara Masekela, poet, educator and stalwart,
•⁠ ⁠Lindiwe Mazibuko, former Member of Parliament,
•⁠ ⁠Roelf Meyer, former Minister and constitutional negotiator,
•⁠ ⁠Gcina Mhlope, storyteller, writer and actor,
•⁠ ⁠Nompendulo Mkhatshwa, student activist and former member of parliament,
•⁠ ⁠Kgothatso Montjane, Grand Slam tennis champion,
•⁠ ⁠Professor Harry Ranwedzi Nengwekhulu, former activist and educationist,
•⁠ ⁠Bheki Ntshalintshali, unionist and former Cosatu (Congress of South African Trade Unions) General Secretary,
•⁠ ⁠Hosi Phylia Nwamitwa, traditional leader,
•⁠ ⁠Kgosi Thabo Seatlholo, chairperson of the National House of Traditional and Khoisan Leaders,
•⁠ ⁠Dr Gloria Serobe, business leader,
•⁠ ⁠Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of the Gift of the Givers,
•⁠ ⁠Professor Derrick Swartz, academic,
•⁠ ⁠Lorato Trok, author and early literacy expert,
•⁠ ⁠Sibusiso Vilane, mountaineer and adventurer, and
•⁠ ⁠Siyabulela Xuza, award-winning rocket scientist.
“UBaba uShembe uNyazi LweZulu has also been invited to join the Eminent Persons Group, but, as he is travelling, has not yet been able to confirm his availability.”
The president expressed his gratitude to each of “these South African patriots who have made themselves available to act as the guarantors of an inclusive, constructive and credible process”.

Logistics for the process

An Inter-Ministerial Committee has been set up under the chairpersonship of the Deputy President, Paul Mashatile, to coordinate the government’s contribution to the National Dialogue.
A steering committee will also be established, comprised of representatives of various sectors of society, to set the strategic priorities and coordinate the implementation of the National Dialogue process.
The Secretariat, which is responsible for the day-to-day management of National Dialogue activities, will be housed at NEDLAC, the National Economic Development and Labour Council.
“As a nation, we are embarking on a new path of partnership and united action. We are drawing on our traditions of dialogue and debate. We are determined to define a shared vision of a nation which belongs to all South Africans united in their diversity,” President Ramaphosa concluded.