LETTER: National dialogue a counterfeit exercise - Business Day

The Institute of Race Relations (IRR) has declined an invitation to the national convention and as things stand will not be participating in the national dialogue.

Contrary to national myth, SA has no special capacity for dialogue, nor for the collective problem solving it implies. Much of our history involves refusing to conduct meaningful dialogue or power brokers declaring particular issues sacrosanct and not up for discussion.

Recently, the president and his party have shown scant interest in a co-operative relationship with its nominal partners in the government of national unity (GNU) or in reconsidering policies such as race-based empowerment, employment equity or National Health Insurance. Indeed, if media reports are accurate the president himself engages very little with other party leaders. Not much dialogue there.

All of this helps explain why there has been little progress on economic growth, even though this is the fundamental condition for SA’s success and must be the country’s over-riding objective. Our assessment is that the national dialogue represents an abdication of responsibility, as an elected government notionally hands over the country’s challenges to “the people”.

Yet with no intention of changing course on matters essential to our economic fortunes and the chances of constitutional democracy enduring, even this is pointless. It will offer a “vision” of the future in exchange for continued failure in the present.

Dialogue is an intrinsic part of an open society. We engage in it daily, as individuals and in freely constituted collectives. We need more and better-quality national dialogue; this national dialogue is a counterfeit exercise.

Terence Corrigan
Institute of Race Relations

https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/opinion/letters/2025-08-13-letter-national-dialogue-a-counterfeit-exercise/