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President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers the keynote address during the National Convention at the University of South Africa (Unisa) in Pretoria on August 15, 2025.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on all South Africans to join the National Dialogue process.
Ramaphosa was speaking to over 1200 delegates from various sectors and communities across the country that attended the National Convention at the University of South Africa’s (Unisa) main campus in Pretoria.
His comments follow the non-participation of the Democratic Alliance (DA), as well as the withdrawal of several legacy foundations from the preparation process, and most notably the absence of former President Thabo Mbeki, seen as the originator of the National Dialogue idea.
Others who have chosen to stay away from the National Convention are the country’s second-largest trade union, the South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) and ActionSA.
Ramaphosa says the National Dialogue is a call to build a society that has a place for all.
He says, “The National Dialogue is a call to action. It is a call to all South Africans to seize this moment for change and progress, and this we cannot do when we are sitting on the sidelines, this we cannot do when we do not want to be part of this conversation and this we cannot do when we sit on the sidelines and just criticize. We need to be inside the tent rather than being outside of the tent.”
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