All the ANC does is talk, talk, talk

This expensive National Dialogue is another meaningless talk shop.

There’s a popular Tsonga saying, “Mintirho ya vulavula”, which means that actions speak louder than words. For more than 30 years since the birth of our democracy, we have been accustomed to numerous and futile talk shops. The African National Congress (ANC)-led government has spent its time paying lip service rather than governing this country.

The recently announced National Dialogue is said to be costing taxpayers a staggering R700 million. At the end of this circus, communities will still be subjected to skyrocketing levels of unemployment; violent crime; a stagnant economy; the absence of quality service delivery; the scourge of drugs; abuse of alcohol among the youth; crowded and understaffed schools; the deterioration of state infrastructure; and lack of development in all aspects.

What qualifies this performative event as a circus is the choice of the people taken to lead this national initiative, which is wrongfully thought of as addressing our socio-economic-political quagmires. President Cyril Ramaphosa, having been involved with the Black Consciousness Movement (BCM) in the 1970s, should understand the role and relevance of infusing grassroots voices in a national project. BCM filled the void in black communities when political formations and activities were banned in the country by establishing grassroots organisations that tackled challenges faced by people in a more customised way. The people whom Ramaphosa has elected are out of touch with the reality on the ground.

Besides its exorbitant price, this National Dialogue appears to be a divisive tool rather than a way to bring people together. It includes individuals such as Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, the founder of Gift of the Givers, a questionable character who has been able to infiltrate the ANC as well as the South African government, especially the Department of International Relations and Cooperation. Sooliman has been able to brand himself as a humanitarian champion, which in turn he has used to establish and maintain relationships between South Africa and Hamas, Qatar, Iran, and others through his work in Gaza and the Middle East region.

It’s myopic to expect people who have held powerful positions in the past to spearhead a new trajectory for those whose lives they have failed to change. Albert Einstein teaches us that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Ramaphosa should remember that the people who broke things cannot be the same ones to fix them. We need to go back to the basics by involving grassroots organisations and community activists to participate in diagnosing their problems and challenging them to recommend community-oriented solutions to those problems, rather than imposing some cosmetic, intellectually rhyming solutions which aren’t practical.

This National Dialogue takes a misleading posture, seemingly suggesting that communities around South Africa don’t know what they want. Let’s begin with Statistics South Africa, which is obliged by the Constitution to collect data to support policy-making, economic and social development, and research. It’s this government department that should guide legislators on the government’s priorities, rather than us immersing ourselves in futile, extravagant theatrics which won’t change anyone’s life besides the politicians who will get another opportunity to steal the same money meant to solve the country’s problems.

We have had several talks in various forms and platforms, and what seems to be missing is action to support what has been said. There were talks recently on gender-based violence; corruption whistleblowers; there have been conferences on the transformation of higher education, on crime, and other subjects. The timing of this National Dialogue also raises concern as we are fast approaching the next highly contested local government elections in 2026, where the ANC is expected to lose many wards and municipalities throughout the country.

• Kenneth Mokgatlhe is a political analyst and journalist. He holds a Master of Arts degree from the Israeli-based Ben Gurion University.