11 July 2025
The Federation of Unions of South Africa (FEDUSA) welcomes the convening of the first National Convention of the 2025 National Dialogue on 15–16 August and acknowledges the Presidency and preparatory committee’s open communication to date on the process and logistical arrangements. In a period marked by socio-political instability, economic stagnation, and institutional decay, FEDUSA recognises the urgent need for a credible, citizen-led platform capable of building genuine national consensus. Our support for the Dialogue will be strategic, conditional, and measured strictly against its ability to deliver enforceable reforms.
South Africa stands at a crossroads. The promise of the National Development Plan is faltering under the weight of high-level corruption, weakening public institutions, and the erosion of trust in democratic governance. The National Dialogue offers a potential moment of democratic renewal, but only if it moves beyond rhetoric and produces tangible, redistributive outcomes for workers and communities. History has shown, from CODESA to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, that dialogue without implementation is a betrayal of hope.
The Presidency has clarified that costs for the National Convention and the broader Dialogue work are being met through existing NEDLAC and Presidency budgets, supported by in-kind contributions such as UNISA’s provision of venues, services, and infrastructure at no cost. FEDUSA welcomes these cost-saving measures but insists that transparency must extend to the full Dialogue budget once it is finalised,
along with regular, independently verified expenditure reports throughout the process.
FEDUSA will not endorse any process that fails to meet minimum standards of transparency, inclusion, and measurable accountability. Participation must not be reduced to symbolic presence in forums designed to manage perceptions rather than deliver change. If the Dialogue is to work, it must deliver structural transformation, not elite consensus.
We therefore call for the following minimum conditions before and during our engagement:
1. Full Budget Transparency: Beyond the cost-saving measures for the first Convention, the complete Dialogue budget, once finalised, must be made public in detail. Regular, independently verified expenditure reports must be released for the duration of the process.
2. Full Labour Inclusion: Organised labour must have equal decision-making power across governance structures, including the Steering Committee and local dialogues. Worker voices must not be mediated through government-aligned NGOs or tokenistic appointments.
3. Binding Commitments: The Dialogue must produce actionable outcomes on employment creation, decent work, and wage progression, written into a national compact with timelines, deliverables, and accountability mechanisms.
4. Immediate Anti-Corruption Action: A Presidential Proclamation must mandate the SIU to investigate executive-level corruption, including full implementation of the Zondo Commission recommendations. Lifestyle audits for all members of the executive, public officials, parliamentarians, and SOE executives must be public.
5. Rejection of Austerity: The Dialogue must reject austerity policies that have weakened public services. Strategic investment must be restored in education, healthcare, policing, and infrastructure to rebuild a capable developmental state.
6. International Technical Oversight: A global advisory panel, drawing on expertise from successful dialogue processes, must be included to reinforce strategic coherence and avoid elite capture.
FEDUSA will engage actively if these conditions are met, including union-led civic education, and
mobilisation via NEDLAC, Parliament, and international labour networks to ensure delivery.
Should the Dialogue falter on transparency, inclusion, or integrity, we will withdraw publicly and escalate
concerns to domestic and international democratic accountability platforms. South Africa cannot afford
another round of democratic performance without delivery.
For FEDUSA, this is a moment of moral clarity. We support the vision of a just, inclusive, and democratic society. But that vision must be realised in wages, in schools, in hospitals, and in safer communities, not in glossy reports and photo opportunities.
END.