PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa delivering the keynote address at the National Dialogue's National Convention held at Unisa, Pretoria on August 15, 2025. If the National Dialogue were truly and visibly underway, the migration issue could have been addressed differently, says the writer.
Dr. Reneva Fourie
As hundreds of people marched through South Africa’s streets claiming to highlight the challenges associated with undocumented migration, one question became impossible to ignore. Whatever happened to the National Dialogue?
The marches were neither surprising nor particularly exceptional. Across societies experiencing deep economic insecurity, stagnant growth and declining public confidence in state institutions, migration frequently becomes the target against which broader frustrations are expressed.
The National Dialogue, announced in June 2025 with significant public attention and formally launched at its first National Convention in Tshwane from 15 to 16 August 2025, was intended as a pivotal intervention to address grassroots discontent.
