National dialogue is problematic and should have been held before the elections

A MARK Twain dilemma has beset South Africa in as far as the quest for a national dialogue is concerned.

- PALI LEHOHLA

The Foundations which were instrumental in galvanising the idea have decided not to be present at the launch on the 15th of August. Former president Thabo Mbeki had also released a statement a few weeks ago on what would determine the outcome of a dialogue as the credibility of its constituent composition. President Cyril Ramaphosa is going ahead with or without the Foundations.

A national dialogue under the prevailing circumstances, especially those of guaranteed incumbency after an election was certainly going to be problematic because interests will have been entrenched.

Mindful of this difficulty, on the 19th of December 2024, I penned an article titled, Next year's elections should be postponed, says former Statistician-General Pali Lehohla After attracting attention on both sides of the arguments for and against I outlined why the postponement of an election would serve a good purpose both in terms of defining what South Africans desire through a dialogue and what a democratic process would give meaning to those desires.

The next article was on the 7th of January 2024 titled, The new SA has failed blacks and coloureds while the elite thrive, and elections won't fix it.

The title elaborated the content of the dialogue. It provided the detail of the content of the discontent the dialogue would have to confront.

Drawing from the reports of the Statistician-General evidence pointed to a deteriorating trajectory for Blacks and Coloureds, with a clear path towards a demographic disaster.

In contradistinction to this the path for Whites and Indians was one of a demographic dividend.