Ramaphosa’s National Dialogue: it’s show-time, folks!

The same way there are movie sequels that should never have been made, there are political sequels that should never be made. President Cyril Ramaphosa’s National Dialogue fits the bill. The preview to this R700 million sequel of yet another grand project with a hefty price tag, gives flashes of the magic cure to our nation’s woes – unemployment, poverty, inequality, and the whole kitchen sink of social ills and a underwhelming follow-through. Scheduled to appear at a venue near you, not only will there be glitz, there will also be the glamour of an “eminent persons group” – an “A list” of South Africa’s who’s who.

South Africa’s latest reality show will feature people like Siya Kolisi, no doubt tackling unemployment; Mia le Roux showing off how South Africa can be beautiful; but even the incomparable John Kani can’t put on a face-saving act for South Africa’s next debacle. Gcina Mhlope is going to struggle with the good story that we have to tell. They, together with a host of specially selected beautiful people in good shape, have not one heavyweight or piano-lifter among them, and nobody who can move the dialogue into a social compact. But despite this deficiency, these beautiful people have been chosen to help create a “shared national ethos” and a 30-year plan to fix South Africa.

Sounds wonderful, right? So what has Parliament been doing for the past 30 years that we now need these social influencers to show the path forward? Is it an admission that Parliament has failed, that we would do better without a legislature? An acceptance that instead of parliamentary functionings the national ethos should be determined by grassroots chats in workplaces and churches and virtual webinars for the TikTok crowd – finally, real democracy in action! The people shall rule!

Politics makes for strange bedfellows, and politicians know better than most how to survive. Ramaphosa needs to look busy while the country burns, after all, there are elections coming up and it’s a great election ploy. But there are politicians on the other side of the bed. The Economic Freedom Fighters’ Julius Malema nailed the National Dialogue as a “talk shop” for the elite, not a lifeline for the shack-dweller or unemployed youth. The Democratic Alliance’s John Steenhuisen, breaking with the Government of National Unity and the dialogue’s unity pitch, called it a “waste of time and money”. Even the uMkhonto weSizwe Party labelled it an “elitist farce”. All have placed themselves handily to outlive the dialogue.

The dialogue’s legal foundation is questionable. The Presidency has given no constitutional or statutory authority for its establishment, claiming that it’s the state’s duty to promote social cohesion under the Constitution of South Africa. Ramaphosa is, however, convening a national consultation at an estimated cost of R700 million, as yet still unbudgeted. After failing to increase VAT and having a hole in the budget, one would expect some sort of fiscal prudence and accountability in public expenditure. Allocating such a sum without transparent justification, particularly amidst a cost-of-living crisis, raises serious questions of public-finance compliance. The dialogue’s ambition to produce a “binding compact” by 2026 has no legal foundation. No mechanism exists under current law to enforce such a compact across diverse sectors, absent parliamentary ratification or statutory backing, so the dialogue and the binding compact will have be voted on in Parliament, notwithstanding the path chosen by the public.

South Africa’s history is littered with “funded roadmaps” that sound nice, but without clear accountability. Remember the Zuma-era commissions, which yielded little beyond voluminous reports, now gathering dust. This dialogue also lacks enforceable accountability mechanisms, but the government has lots of paper, and dust never disappears.

If the president wants a reality show, it would be far cheaper and certainly far more entertaining to put the National Dialogue on TV. The script is prepared. There’s a star-studded cast of eminent persons. Each of them will have a monologue, specially written for political optics. And like most other non-tender government projects, the show will be funded by National Treasury, this one to the tune of R700 million. There may even be a political subplot, allowing for a chunk of the funding to vanish into the same void as South Africa’s last dozen grand plans. This is Mzansi Fo Sho.

• Craig Snoyman is an advocate practicing in Johannesburg.