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President Ramaphosa
President Cyril Ramaphosa has lauded what he calls a successful launch of the National Dialogue over the past weekend. He has hailed the first National Convention as pronouncing a resounding call for the conversation among South Africans to begin.
In his weekly letter, the President says there should be no person, part of society or institution, public or private, that is excluded from the conversation.
Some foundations pulled out of the National Convention held this past weekend, sparking divisions between the executive and these foundations
Ramaphosa says the dialogue should break down the barriers between ‘insiders’ and ‘outsiders’ and challenge notions of ‘us’ and ‘them’.
He adds that the country should not seek unity based solely on sentiment. Rather, it should forge unity through constructive and honest discussions about the difficult issues South Africa faces and develop an agreed-upon programme of action.
While the government is seemingly not seeing eye to eye with prominent foundations, Ramaphosa says South Africans should not be afraid to disagree, as this is part of engaging in a meaningful and robust dialogue.
He says it is through the expression of different views that the dialogue will get full legitimacy and credence.
In his letter to the citizens, Ramaphosa says South Africans should make a determined effort to air their differences, with a view to finding agreement on the actions needed to build a better society, in which every person has an equal opportunity to prosper.
National Convention | President Ramaphosa gives keynote address
