Following President Ramaphosa’s outline of the National Dialogue’s goal, the Democratic Alliance Chief Whip, George Michalakis accused him of overseeing a “failed” initiative.
Michalakis was speaking at the National Assembly, Good Hope Chamber on Tuesday.
National Dialogue was formally launched by the First National Convention, aimed at addressing issues through engaging with civil society groups. It was hosted at the University of South Africa in Pretoria, on 15 August 2025.
Michalakis and DA Verdict on the National Dialogue
Michalakis said the Thabo Mbeki Foundation and many others had withdrawn from the National Dialogue, citing the lack of trust in the president.
The DA highlighted that South Africans are in need of real jobs, growth, poverty reduction and lowered cost of living, instead of an “expensive empty talk-shop that will cost taxpayers almost R700 million”.
Freedom Front Plus Views about the National Dialogue
Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus) Chief Whip, Dr Corne Mulder also weighed in on the potential outcomes of the dialogue. He insisted that the ultimate test should be whether actions will be taken to address problems that have been identified.
According to Mulder, the problem is that the African National Congress (ANC) maintained that they would not change their policies.
The FF Plus has always been vocal in their fight against the ANC’s policies. These policies are made up of Black Economic Empowerment and expropriation of land without compensation.
“These are the root causes of the country’s problems and seeking remedies for their consequences- such as unemployment, corruption and the decay of municipalities – would merely be superficial,” Mulder said.
Mulder’s Outcome Predictions
Mulder said the direction where the National Dialogue is heading is clear. He cited that nothing had been done to address the thirteen outcomes-focused areas that were identified.
“Discussing and identifying South Africa’s problems will do nothing to solve them. Everyone already knew exactly what the country’s problems were before the dialogue – the biggest being the ANC,” he added.
Furthermore, Mulder urged Ramaphosa to indicate whether the ANC would be willing to amend its policies if it is required by the outcomes of the National Dialogue.
Additionally, the leader of Economic Freedom Fighters, Julius Malema, is also one of the MPs that had publicly denounced the National Dialogue.
Malema accused the government of ignoring community challenges while wasting millions on the National Dialogue.
Do you think South Africans can expect positive outcomes from the National Dialogue?
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