President Cyril Ramaphosa has named Roelf Meyer, the former National Party minister and fellow pro-democracy negotiator, as one of the 31 eminent persons who will guide the national dialogue.
Meyer retired from active politics in 2000, but the UDM co-founder, who also formed part of Nelson Mandela’s first cabinet as minister of constitutional development, has taken an active interest in the country’s direction.
He was vocal at the height of state capture, warning that former president Jacob Zuma’s refusal to step down posed a risk to the country. He was also instrumental in initial talks with parties on the formation of the government of national unity in the aftermath of the 2024 general election. It is fitting that he would form part of the group championing the national dialogue, as it is set to take place as the constitution he and Ramaphosa helped put together hits the three-decade mark. It was signed into law by former president Nelson Mandela and gazetted in December 1996.
Ramaphosa, who led the ANC delegation’s team on the Constitutional Assembly in the 1990s, now in his final term in office, is seeking to forge a new social compact through the national dialogue.
The national dialogue is expected to be modelled on the Codesa talks held as apartheid came to an end, when various stakeholders discussed the technicalities of transition and a change of leadership before the political transformation to a democratic state in 1994.
A preparatory committee towards the talks has been set up by the National Foundations Dialogue Initiative (NFDI), backed by more than 50 civil society organisations. The NFDI said that the inclusion of nongovernmental stakeholders in the national dialogue suggests the president recognises the urgency of bridging the gap between the state and citizens.
"[This chasm is] illustrated by the fact that only about 40% of eligible voters in our country bothered to vote in the last national and provincial elections in May 2024,” it said in a statement.
The NFDI comprises organisations named after prominent South Africans including Ahmed Kathrada, Albert Luthuli, Desmond and Leah Tutu, Oliver and Adelaide Tambo, Jakes Gerwel, the Umlambo and Thabo Mbeki foundations, as well as the Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Trust.
“This voter stayaway was a pointer to massive alienation of the electorate from the democratic project, which ought to concern all of us,” the NFDI said.
Other prominent figures in the eminent persons group include Springbok captain Siya Kolisi; Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of the Gift of the Givers; former Constitutional Court justice Edwin Cameron; and Miss SA 2024 Mia le Roux.
The EFF has shunned the national dialogue and the eminent persons group, saying: “A majority of the so-called eminent persons are ANC-aligned either by direct membership or through historical or current support of the sitting president and his internal political party ambitions.”
National conventions
Ramaphosa announced last year that the national dialogue would consolidate the GNU in the aftermath of the establishment of the coalition government. The dialogue will be preceded by two national conventions, with the first one scheduled for August 15 while the second convention is scheduled for early next year.
The national dialogue will bring together government, business, labour and civil society, seeking to address mounting political and economic pressure and to build consensus on a shared national vision.
Ramaphosa said a steering committee would be established, comprising individuals from various sectors, to co-ordinate the implementation of the national dialogue process.
The secretariat, which is responsible for day-to-day management of national dialogue activities, would be housed at the National Economic Development and Labour Council, the president said.
“It is anticipated that the national dialogue will drive progress towards our Vision 2030 and lay the foundation for the next phase of SA’s national development plan. The national dialogue itself is not an event. Rather, it will be a participatory process that unfolds in phases, from local consultations and sectoral engagements to provincial and national gatherings,” he said.
The views expressed at the first national convention in August will be brought together for a second convention early next year.
“This second national convention will reinforce our shared values and adopt a common vision and programme of action for our country into the future. We expect it will finalise a compact that outlines the roles and responsibilities of all South Africans,” Ramaphosa said.
An interministerial committee chaired by deputy president Paul Mashatile will co-ordinate the government’s contribution to the convention.
Correction: June 12 2025
This article has been changed to reflect that Roelf Meyer was minster of constitutional development, not minister of justice.
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