Tokyo Sexwale Raises Concerns About Upcoming National Dialogue, Mzansi Questions R700m Price Tag

• Tokyo Sexwale has shared his thoughts on the upcoming National Dialogue set to begin in August 2025
• Launched by President Cyril Ramaphosa, the event is aimed at strengthening the country's democracy
• South Africans shared their thoughts on Sexwale's statement and questioned the R700 million price tag

Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.

GAUTENG - African National Congress (ANC) veteran Tokyo Sexwale has weighed in on the upcoming National Dialogue, urging a bit of caution.

The National Dialogue, which is scheduled for August 2025, is aimed at strengthening the country's democracy through a series of dialogues.

Announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on 10 June 2025, the upcoming event has drawn criticism for its exorbitant price tag, as R700 million has been set aside for it. While this has drawn criticism from many, like ActionSA's Herman Mashaba, Sexwale has a different concern.

What is Sexwale worried about?

Speaking about what the dialogue aimed to achieve, the former Human Settlements Minister cautioned against labelling it the silver lining to the range of problems faced by the country. He stated that while the country needed some optimism, there also had to be a bigger dose of caution, as the event could make things worse as well.

"We must be very careful that this dialogue is not led by the people who, in the first place, are responsible for the cause of the problems. Otherwise, this thing will fall flat on its face. There’s a good chance the dialogue will produce something, and there’s another chance that things will get worse."

He also said that there must be a way to ensure the government is held accountable at the end of the event, as it was established by the president, so he couldn't run away from it.

While the president has asked that the estimated price tag be reduced, he has also earned criticism from some for the age of the delegates. The National Dialogue group's eldest member is a 92-year-old, while the majority are between the ages of 60 and 69 years old.

How did South Africans react?

Some social media users shared Sexwale's concerns, while others stated that it was a waste of money, as the country's problems were already well-known.

Karl Hans Schroder said:

“It would be interesting to see who was awarded tenders to provide services to facilitate this event.”

Vassa Reddy stated:

“He’s speaking some sense.”

Mthuthuzeli Makotwane asked:

“What is new that will be said that they don’t know, that needs R700 million?

Vho Sydney Dama added:

“I don't see the importance of having a National Dialogue. South Africans know their problems. We have civic, local government, provincial government and national government. Those channels can be used to address our challenges. How can we spend R700 million mara? Hendrik Verwoerd and PW Botha may be laughing from their graves.”

Sibusiso Mthombheni noted:

“Ramaphosa and the ANC need this National Dialogue because they're desperate to be seen as if they’re working, even at the cost of almost a billion rands. One thing our politicians are good at is talking about nothing while stuffing their pockets with public money.”

Mabena Mangena said:

“I really agree with Sexwale. When coming into this, our government knows full well what the problem is, and the real problem is corruption, especially from ANC politicians. Take that R700 million and create jobs for South African youth.”

Democratic Alliance withdraws from National Dialogue

In a related article, the Democratic Alliance officially withdrew from the upcoming National Dialogue.

Briefly News reported that the party made the decision in response to Andrew Whitfield being fired.

Whitfield was fired as the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry for undertaking a trip to the USA without approval from Ramaphosa.

Source: Briefly News