'It is a missed business opportunity'

The Pretoria Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), one of the capital city's oldest business advocacy bodies, says it has been left out of this week's National Dialogue, despite its potential to boost local business activity.

- By Tshwarelo eseng Mogakane

The three-day convention, set for August 15 to 17 in Pretoria, has drawn hundreds of delegates from political parties, business, labour, civil society, and grassroots movements. It is billed as a high-level platform to set an agenda for social and economic reforms over the next year, culminating in a second national session in 2026.

But the chamber, which has represented the city's commercial sector since its founding in 1882, confirmed it was not formally invited to participate.

"We were unfortunately not formally invited to this session," said PCCI strategic chief operating officer Nkosinathi Njoko.

"The Pretoria Chamber of Commerce and Industry would have greatly appreciated the opportunity to be part of the dialogue. We believe our participation would have allowed us to effectively leverage the session to mobilise assistance and promote local businesses, ensuring they could fully capitalise on such an important event."