The induction of the National Dialogue’s new steering committee will be held this weekend at the University of South Africa's (Unisa) Muckleneuk’s main campus in Pretoria.
The National Dialogue was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa last year and is aimed at addressing challenges facing South Africa.
In December the President confirmed the 99 nominees to the steering committee which were drawn from all sectors of society.
“The Steering Committee’s role is to steward the integrity of the process, ensure that participation is meaningful and accessible, and oversee a phased roll-out of dialogues across communities, sectors, and provinces. It is not a substitute for elected government, and it is not a platform for party-political campaigning.
“The Steering Committee induction will focus on governance, ethics, decision-making protocols, public accountability, and the realities of rebuilding trust in a context where many South Africans are understandably sceptical of consultative processes that do not lead to change,” a statement from the National Dialogue said.
The induction process will work towards “outlining the practical roadmap for the implementation roadmap and phased plan for dialogues” including:
- A public participation guide, including offline options for communities with limited connectivity.
- An accessibility and translation pathway, to ensure participation across languages and disability contexts.
- A clear reporting and feedback approach so that communities can see what happens after dialogues take place.
- A weekly process update and a public log of priority issues raised and their status.
“The National Dialogue Steering Committee would like to reiterate its position that it remains committed to a transparent, inclusive, and non-partisan process which is citizen-led,” the statement read. – SAnews.gov.za
