Fri Aug 15 18:15:16 UTC 2025: **Summary:**

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has launched a national dialogue aimed at addressing the country’s persistent issues, including poverty, inequality, and unemployment. The initiative seeks to bring South Africans together to find solutions through local-level meetings over the next several months. However, the dialogue has faced criticism, with some dismissing it as a costly and meaningless exercise. The Democratic Alliance is boycotting the event, and even some key backers have expressed concerns about the rushed nature and budget of the initiative. Despite the criticism, Ramaphosa is urging South Africans to participate and hopes the dialogue will lead to a shared national vision and practical solutions.
**News Article:**

**South Africa Launches National Dialogue Amidst Skepticism**

*Pretoria, South Africa -* President Cyril Ramaphosa officially launched a national dialogue Friday aimed at addressing South Africa’s deep-seated issues of poverty, inequality, and unemployment, 30 years after the end of apartheid. The initiative, involving months of nationwide public consultations, seeks to bring South Africans together to find solutions at the local level.

“We all agree that there are many things that are broken in our country,” Ramaphosa stated at the convention, which will develop a roadmap for local-level meetings across the country over six to nine months. “By getting together, talking to each other, we should be able to find solutions on how we can put many of the things that are broken in our country together.”

Priorities for the dialogue include addressing the nation’s high crime rate, land reform, and stark inequalities, as well as unemployment which has surpassed 33%.

However, the dialogue has already faced significant criticism. The Democratic Alliance, a major party in the government, has labeled the initiative a “meaningless” and “obscene waste of money,” refusing to participate. Former President Thabo Mbeki, and others who initially supported the dialogue, reportedly boycotted the launch due to concerns about the rapid implementation and the budget.

Reports suggest the dialogue could cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of rand, although the presidency has pledged to reduce costs, partly through donations of transport and venues.

Ramaphosa acknowledged the need to address the underlying causes of inequality. “We also need to ask ourselves, why do so many people live in abject poverty, and so few live lives of opulence?” he said. “Why, after decades of democracy, are the prospects of the white child so much better than those of a black child?”

Despite the skepticism, President Ramaphosa urged the nation of 63 million to participate in the dialogue, hoping to forge a shared national vision and practical solutions. Ambassadors for the process include actor John Kani and Miss South Africa 2024, Mia le Roux.

“If you listen to the dialogue within ourselves, it is not a rubber-stamp organisation — everyone challenges each other,” said Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of Gift of the Givers humanitarian group and another ambassador.

The success of the initiative remains to be seen.

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