First National Dialogue meeting held in Pretoria

By Simon Nare

President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged the National Dialogue Eminent Persons Group to chart the way forward to put South Africa back on the path of transformation, development and progress.

Ramaphosa admitted on Friday that the country had regressed over the years, with a deterioration in governance and service delivery. There was also widespread corruption and a waste of public resources.

Addressing the first meeting of the group at the Union Buildings in Pretoria to kickstart the dialogue initiative, Ramaphosa said the country was beset with many challenges that needed people to sit around the table and brainstorm.

He was also concerned that people were disengaging from democratic processes. Last year saw the lowest voter turnout at the polls.

The economy was not growing and the number of unemployed people increasing despite the progress made in forging a united, democratic and just nation over the last 31 years.