Try GOLD - Free
Whose dialogue is it anyway?
Mail & Guardian
|July 18, 2025
The National Dialogue has not even begun and has already become irrevocably politically tainted — exactly the thing it was not supposed to be.
-
Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen declared three weeks ago that his party would be withdrawing from the process after its deputy minister Andrew Whitfield was sacked while ANC corruption-accused ministers remained in their jobs. Those of an ANC inclination have flipped the allegation and said the DA is using the occasion for political point scoring.
Former president Thabo Mbeki added his voice to the mêlée in an open letter to Steenhuisen. He subtly reminded everyone that it was he who first put forward the idea of a dialogue early last year.
This story is from the July 18, 2025 edition of Mail & Guardian.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
"You don't get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate"
At this year's global edition of the African Public Square open session, we debated the urgent question of how Africa can effectively negotiate and resource its agency in an evolving global order.
5 mins
M&G 10 April 2026
Mail & Guardian
The creative power of lies
America’s scale of its invented narratives are hard to match. Trump has normalised the idea that rhetorical bombast matters more than accuracy
4 mins
M&G 10 April 2026
Mail & Guardian
Pollution threatens vital waterway
From stormwater and sewage to degraded wetlands, the Klip River's decline highlights the urgent need for infrastructure repairs and ecological restoration, scientists warn
3 mins
M&G 10 April 2026
Mail & Guardian
The case for the reform of the UN
The two proposals reveal that reform debates are marked by a deeper theoretical divergence over whether global legitimacy hinges on balancing power or modernising institutions
5 mins
M&G 10 April 2026
Mail & Guardian
Iran is winning the social media war
Humour, provocation and localisation: Iran's new digital diplomacy
3 mins
M&G 10 April 2026
Mail & Guardian
Solitary superpower erodes global unity
The message is unmistakable: allies must contribute to the US-Israeli campaign against Iran or face consequences for the partnership itself. Yet, as the conflict enters its fourth week, Trump appears increasingly comfortable with a go-it-alone strategy
5 mins
M&G 10 April 2026
Mail & Guardian
Kwibuka32: Never and never again
April is an emotional month for Rwanda.
2 mins
M&G 10 April 2026
Mail & Guardian
Beating rampant cybercrime in Africa
If you have a cellphone, bank card and online access, chances are you have had to thwart several cybercrime attempts in the past month.
4 mins
M&G 10 April 2026
Mail & Guardian
Hill-Lewis and the DA's non-race
Hill-Lewis remains the overwhelming favourite to replace John Steenhuisen as DA federal leader but Dyanase’s candidacy has turned the race into a debate over internal democracy
6 mins
M&G 10 April 2026
Mail & Guardian
EFF ramps up support for Malema
Party structures across provinces are coordinating for supporters expected to gather outside the East London magistrates court, where proceedings will resume before magistrate Twanett Olivier
5 mins
M&G 10 April 2026
Listen
Translate
Change font size