Journey to national dialogue fraught with challenges

Our national discourse ultimately boils down to two words: respect and involvement

- NKOSIKHULULE NYEMBEZI

WHAT is the future of the proposed national dialogue now that it has been planted deeper into political controversy? What is its value or fate? I saw it escape like a child's ball, cheerlessly bouncing down the street after former president Thabo Mbeki's July 3 open letter to DA leader John Steenhuisen and thereafter Steenhuisen's July 04 response.

Cheerlessly over there in the harbour water! No use to say this sidetracking public sparring is only a small distraction, as it further contaminates the dialogue atmosphere.

An ultimate shaking grief fixes those of us hoping for a structured national conversation about the future of our nation, as we stand rigid, trembling, staring up at another political storm.

The public's relationship with nation-building and political authority has changed substantially over the three decades of democracy in South Africa, especially after the 2024 national and provincial elections that reduced the ANC's political dominance and produced coalition governments. People now demand greater individual control of their day-to-day lives and meaningful involvement in decision-making regarding their governance.

The fancy words, epistemologies, economics, politics, and sociological frameworks that underpin all this are interesting. However, our national discourse ultimately boils down to two words: respect and involvement.

As we consider the developments surrounding the proposed conversation, national dialogue fatigue is gripping us all. Yet, the need for respect and citizen involvement is becoming increasingly important.

We cannot take for granted the needed support for ongoing national dialogue preparations and agenda-setting discussions, which are crucially dependent on mutually respectful multi-stakeholder relationships that foster goodwill.