Cabinet has directed the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on the National Dialogue to ensure prudence with the funding of the initiative, following concerns raised by the public on how much government would spend on it.
“Cabinet has noted public concerns about the estimate Budget for the National Dialogue and wishes to clarify that the proposed Budget has not yet been taken through the established government budgeting processes or considered by the IMC that is chaired by the Deputy President.
“Cabinet is fully cognisant of the current fiscal constraints and has directed the IMC to ensure prudence on the funding of the National Dialogue,” Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said on Thursday, in Cape Town.
Earlier this month, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that government would host a National Dialogue that will enable South Africans to participate in engagements that will confront the country’s challenges and forge a path into a better future.
An Inter-Ministerial Committee has been established under the chairpersonship of the Deputy President, Paul Mashatile, to coordinate government’s contribution to the National Dialogue.
“On this day, 70 years ago, 26 of June 1955, more than 3 000 delegates from various racial and social backgrounds, gathered in Kliptown, Johannesburg, to envision the South Africa, they want, that is democratic, and non-racial and which is based on the principles of equality, social justice, human rights and shared economic prosperity,” the Minister said.
This gathering culminated in the adoption of the Freedom Charter, which is a document outlining the aspirational principles of freedom and democracy in South Africa.
“The Freedom Charter is the foundational document to the Constitution of the post-Apartheid South Africa, and it is still relevant in directing the redress of outstanding social and economic inequalities.
“The Freedom Charter was a result of a massive grassroots campaign involving various anti-Apartheid organisations and ordinary citizens, organised under the banner of the African National Congress, reflecting on their collective aspirations for a free and just South Africa.
“Seventy years after the adoption of the Freedom Charter and acknowledging that the challenges still facing our country require meaningful input from all of us, South Africans from all walks of life are invited to participate in a National Dialogue that will determine the future of the South Africa we want.
“Like the adoption of the Freedom Charter, the national dialogue will follow an extensive consultation process including at district and provincial levels,” Ntshavheni said.
The Minister was addressing a media briefing on the outcomes of the Cabinet meeting, held on Wednesday. – SAnews.gov.za
