How local dialogue can overcome political polarisation in SA

NATIONAL dialogues are increasingly recognised as vital tools for resolving political conflicts, fostering stateand nation-building, enhancing social cohesion, and facilitating peaceful socioeconomic and political transformation.

- VUSI SHONGWE

Just as our physical muscles need regular exercise, good nutrition, and rest, our civic muscle requires constant care to build a resilient and equitable future. This civic muscle consists not only of programmes, interventions, and policies but also the connections between citizens that bind this muscle to the skeleton of our institutional structures, making them both strong and accountable.

Sadly, civic connection and cohesion have long diminished among South Africans since the euphoric triumph over apartheid. So too have our levels of trust in institutions and our ability to take collective action for the common good. The glue that once held us together has lost its power. The unity that made the apartheid government ungovernable has been replaced by a pervasive sense of despair and hopelessness. The fabric of trust has been shredded.

In a democracy, an electorate’s negative attitude toward government often signals confusion and drift.

As a Czech proverb aptly states: “Trust is like a sheet of paper. Once crumpled, it can never be perfectly smoothed again.”

This trust deficit, as noted by Sam Crosby, leads voters who distrust the government's commitment to their interests to turn to non-incumbent or third-party candidates. Political trust is a proxy for political legitimacy, reflecting the level of popular support for the government and its policies.

Dishonesty, corruption, crime, deceit, and maliciousness have infected almost all aspects of South African reality. It is an irrefutable fact that our nation faces some of the most complex and unprecedented challenges in its democratic history. Our disconnections have become increasingly apparent, and many recognise the urgent need to restore strained connections and build new ones where they never existed.

It is against this background that a national dialogue remains a viable way to determine where we went wrong.