The real National Dialogue that should not cost taxpayers a cent

The upcoming National Dialogue, which will cost approximately R700 million, is nothing like what it was originally promised to be.

Dr Corné Mulder, leader of the Vryheidsfront Plus (VF+), said in an interview with State of the Nation that the idea of a national dialogue originated from the Constitution’s requirement to form a government within 14 days of an election.

This timeframe left little time for parties in the Government of National Unity (GNU) to negotiate a shared policy platform.

He noted that while the GNU was initially expected to use a national dialogue to establish this framework, “a year later, we haven’t had the national dialogue,” and the current proposal “doesn’t seem to be the one” envisioned initially.

In the absence of a unifying policy, Mulder said ministries now appear to be “on their own” and doing “what they want.”

This is contributing to the government’s low legislative output, only passing a budget after three tries compared to the usual dozens of laws over the past year.

Although the original plan was for the dialogue to involve only GNU parties, it was later taken over by civil society groups and the Presidency.

Mulder still supports the idea of dialogue, but not as it is currently envisioned, proposing an informal retreat (bosberaad) to build trust and set a shared agenda that would not cost taxpayers a cent.

Meanwhile, tensions have grown within the GNU. The Democratic Alliance (DA), its second-largest party with 87 seats, has withdrawn from the national dialogue.

This follows President Cyril Ramaphosa’s dismissal of DA member Andrew Whitfield as Deputy Minister after an unauthorised trip to the US.

The controversial price tag

President Cyril Ramaphosa has promoted the National Dialogue as a means to address South Africa’s persistent challenges, including poverty, unemployment, inequality, and corruption, by fostering discussions and forging a new social compact.

“The National Dialogue is an opportunity to mobilise South Africans to address these challenges and restore our country to the path of transformation, development and progress,” said Ramaphosa.

The dialogue will unfold in phases, starting with local consultations spearheaded by a high-profile Eminent Persons Group and culminating in a National Convention on August 15, 2025, and another one in 2026.

Dialogue Task Team chair Nkosinathi Biko stated in a press briefing that “democracy is not cheap, building a nation is very costly,” citing an estimated price tag of roughly R700 million.

However, this caused a firestorm among trade unions, political parties, academics, and civil society, particularly given the current cost-of-living crisis and the government’s austerity measures.

Critics were quick to point out that R700 million of taxpayer funds could make a huge difference in the lives of South Africans.

For example, the average cost of constructing an RDP house is R255,364 each. At this estimate, R700 million could build 2,741 RDP homes.

“How do you think it can be sold to anyone to say we’re going to spend R700 million? What’s that? Can’t be,” said Mulder.

“I’m in favour of dialogue. You have to continuously talk to other people…. But then you need to create the right forum and you need to have on that forum and on that agenda the right issues to take South Africa forward,” he added.

The Presidency quickly distanced itself from the price tag, saying that it is not set in stone and that Treasury has been instructed to find ways to reduce costs.

The free ‘bosberaad’ suggestion

Mulder said that there is rather a need for unity among party leaders in the GNU, whose parties were elected as public representatives only last year.

He said that a political meeting of the party leaders is needed to build trust within the GNU.

“Within the government, you’ve got 10 political parties with their own structures, their own support bases, their own constituencies, their own leadership.”

While there have been occasional meetings here and there, he said that there is a need to create a getaway opportunity, a “bosberaad” or strategic weekend away, among leaders.

Mulder said that the GNU has four years to govern and make a real difference in terms of economic growth, job creation, and poverty alleviation – if there is an agreed policy programme and trust among partners.

Unlike the National Dialogue, “it doesn’t have to cost anything — I’ll take my car, my sleeping bag… we’ll have a nice braai and drink something,” joked Mulder.

Once done, he stresses that for any dialogue to be effective, words must be “backed up with action.”

Neither the ANC nor the Presidency responded to questions from BusinessTech on the matter.