PRETORIA - Day 2 of the National Convention has begun on Saturday, with the dust from a chaotic opening still settling.
READ: First convention of National dialogue enters second and final day
Technical glitches, a medical emergency, and tense scenes marked day one.
Some delegates walked out after the keynote, accusing organisers of talking at them rather than listening.
President Cyril Ramaphosa started the event, urging all South Africans to join the dialogue.
He called for frank conversations on gender-based violence, poverty, inequality and service delivery failures.
Today’s focus is on finalising the rollout of the dialogues and securing contributions to support citizen-led discussions.
eNCA anchor Andrew Barnes discussed the initiative with Mpumelelo Mseleku.
The #NationalDialogue is a citizen-led platform to collectively carve a better future. Our presence represents the aspirations of millions of South Africans.
The People Shall Govern! pic.twitter.com/4m9YaJTslv— ANC - African National Congress (@MYANC) August 16, 2025
The #NationalDialogue is not a single event; it is a long-term, participatory process that seeks to impact on and involve every part of our country, unleashing the energies and buy-in of every citizen and every sector. It, therefore, cannot be a “talk-shop”, as it aims to produce… pic.twitter.com/SDCQjOy1uI
— The Presidency 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) August 15, 2025
Several grassroots civil society organisations and movements have issued a statement explaining why they are participating in the #NationalDialogue.
“The National Dialogue is flawed and may unrealistic… but it’s a radical departure from past government-led engagements” pic.twitter.com/fwvh1pZn76— Mbekezeli (@MbekezeliMB) August 15, 2025
Day 2 of #ZANatDialogue, Unisa open doors for further engagement through the #NationalDialogue a platform to discuss, collaborate, and act on the issues that matter most to South Africa. Together, we will uphold our democratic values and meet the needs of our communities.
Follow… pic.twitter.com/X5IlUCZaHn— Unisa (@unisa) August 16, 2025