A R700m National Dialogue budget amid economic challenges

THE draft budget of more than R700 million for preparations for the National Dialogue has sparked anger amid concerns that it could just be another government-sponsored talk shop.

- LOYISO SIDIMBA

President Cyril Ramaphosa this week announced the eminent persons group for the National Dialogue, which is scheduled to be held on August 15.

Mduduzi Mbada, head of Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s office, said the preparatory task team has drafted a budget for the gathering to be presented to the ministerial committee.

"What we can say is that democracy is not cheap, building a nation is very costly," he said.

Mbada said the R700m price tag included provinces and municipalities, and admitted that it was quite a lot of money.

The government also intends to use its existing infrastructure and programmes provided by Statistics South Africa and the Department of Home Affairs to cover some operational costs for the National Dialogue.

The R700m to be spent has irritated the trade union federation Cosatu, which described it as "ill-considered, rash and grossly insensitive to the frustrations of society".

"Cosatu, like other sober-minded South Africans, was amazed that anyone could even suggest the dialogue should be allocated R700m. This rash estimate should be dismissed as a verbal gaffe and a reckless typo better left deleted and forgotten," the federation stated.

According to Cosatu, the country has borne the brunt of the government's brutal austerity budget cuts to frontline services, in particular, health, education, police and home affairs, among others, while also expected to tighten their belts in the midst of battling rising costs of living in a fragile economy saddled with unbearable levels of unemployment, poverty, and inequality.