The Labour Party of SA (LP) has launched an urgent application in the North Gauteng High Court to interdict President Cyril Ramaphosa’s national dialogue, arguing it is unconstitutional, irrational, fiscally irresponsible and excludes the working class.
The notice of motion was filed last week citing the president, deputy president, speaker of the National Assembly, finance minister, the Treasury and Nedlac as respondents.
The LP, which is linked to Joseph Mathunjwa’s trade union Amcu, was launched in 2024.
The government has yet to ring-fence the funds required for the coming national dialogue, despite the Treasury having earlier identified the initiative as one of six emerging fiscal pressures for the current financial year.
The dialogue, an initiative by President Cyril Ramaphosa aimed at forging a new social compact, is expected to cost about R700m, according to the preparatory committee.
The task team, comprising more than 50 organisations representing foundations, nongovernmental organisations and community-based groups, has yet to present a budget proposal to the Treasury.
Finance minister Enoch Godongwana, in tabling the 2025/26 national budget, included the dialogue as one of six unfunded spending priorities, alongside infrastructure projects in the budget facility for infrastructure (BFI) and Prasa’s rolling stock fleet renewal programme, the US’s withdrawal of Pepfar funding, funding for the office of the chief justice and Stats SA, political party funding and infrastructure provision for royal houses.
The dialogue, expected to begin in August, is intended to address deepening political fragmentation. Its success hinges on the government’s ability to marshal the necessary financial resources, as well as its capacity to foster broad-based political consensus.
In its papers, the LP contends the national dialogue is not only unlawful and irrational, but also fundamentally undermines the democratic process by replicating existing institutions and excluding the broader working class from any meaningful participation.
Furthermore, the LP argues the National Dialogue lacks the executive powers of the existing institutions like Parliament.
“SA doesn’t need another elite summit behind closed doors,” the LP’s acting secretary-general Lindi Mkhumbane said.
“We already have parliament, we already have Nedlac and we already have civil society platforms. What we don’t have is political will from the ruling elite to act on the people’s demands,” she said.
The presidency says there is an urgent need for the national dialogue to discuss pressing social economic problems.
"Respectfully, we will assert that the application is frivolous and ignores a constitutional provision that empowers the president to establish such a dialogue. The dialogue is yet to commence, and they are claiming exclusion of certain sectors of society — one has to wonder how exactly they’ll substantiate that claim, which is patently false. The most constructive thing for them to do is to wait for the commencement of the national dialogue process and participate," Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, responded.
However, the LP has strongly rebuked Ramaphosa himself.
“This is not a true dialogue. It is a public relations stunt designed to absolve the state president from the failures of his administration through the language of consultation. We are dealing with a regime that stages participation while silencing real voices. The people weren’t consulted about this process, and now their money is being spent on it”, Mkhumbane said.
With Thando Maeko
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