President Cyril Ramaphosa didn’t mince words today—he admitted South Africa is a “broken” nation. Speaking to over 1,000 people at the University of South Africa, he launched a National Dialogue designed to face the country’s toughest social and economic wounds head-on. “We all agree there are many things that are broken,” he said, framing the initiative as the start of a months-long journey toward unity across race, class, and geography.
The dialogue will run for six to nine months, with community meetings planned in all nine provinces. Ramaphosa is calling for citizens to speak openly—whether in churches, classrooms, or online—about the kind of country they want to build. On the table are urgent issues: unemployment above 33%, deep inequality, rising crime, and the long-unsettled land reform question, with most farmland still in white ownership.
To steer the process, an Eminent Persons Group—featuring Springbok captain Siya Kolisi, veteran actor John Kani, and former Constitutional Court judge Edwin Cameron—has been assembled. But not everyone is buying in. The Democratic Alliance, a key coalition partner, has pulled out, calling the dialogue “meaningless.” The MK Party won’t join either. Even the Thabo Mbeki and Desmond Tutu foundations have withdrawn, citing rushed planning and a possible R700 million ($38.5 million) price tag.
For supporters, this feels like a throwback to the unity talks of the early 1990s—a chance to write a new chapter for the country. Critics, however, warn it could end up as just another expensive talk shop without real change to follow.
