National Dialogue will cost taxpayers R270 million

The National Dialogue will cost R450 million, and South Africa’s taxpayers will cover R270 million of this cost. It will kick off with a R20 million National Convention this weekend.

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the National Dialogue initiative on 10 June 2025, which immediately raised questions about costs.

Initial estimates suggested that it would cost R700 million. However, many National Dialogue participants indicated that this figure was incorrect.

It has now emerged that Ramaphosa said R700 million was too much. The deputy president, chairing the interministerial committee, re-examined the costs.

It has now been confirmed that the National Dialogue, which will host over 13,400 ward dialogues and 50,000 citizen-led engagements, will cost R450 million.

Anzio Jacobs, a member of the National Convention Planning Committee, confirmed that the state will contribute 60% of the funds needed for the dialogue.

This money will come from the Department of Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation (DPME), which will be spending R270 million on the rollout of the National Dialogue.

The Presidency said that all budgetary processes regarding the National Convention are consistent with the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA).

“R270 million will have to come out of the fiscus, and indeed it will come out of DPME, which is responsible for the monitoring and planning of development in South Africa,” Jacobs said.

“The intention is to ask DPME to look at what their development objectives are, and how it can leverage its existing plan to support the dialogues.”

However, he says that the Minister of Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation, Maropene Ramokgopa, is yet to confirm that the money is available.

“I don’t think that there has been an outright confirmation that the money is available, and I don’t wish to speak on behalf of the Minister,” Jacobs added.

The government wants the private sector and civil society to help

The government has called on South Africans to help support the National Dialogue and not to depend on the state to foot the bill.

Ramaphosa said in response to this call, UNISA has offered to host the first National Convention and provide associated goods and services free of charge.

“As it stands, venues have been secured for the plenary, two overflow venues with livestreaming, 10 breakaway venues, a dining area and work areas,” he said.

In addition, UNISA is providing facilities for an Operations Centre, which has been running over the past week.

Their contribution includes catering, ushers, AV services, printing of discussion documents, signage, conference bags, notepads, pens and Wi-Fi.

The costs of the first convention are being funded from the existing budgets of NEDLAC and the Presidency for secretariat support, communications and logistics.

Jacobs explained that the cost for this weekend’s convention is sitting at around R20 million, which is mostly spent on travel for the 1,000 delegates.

“1,000 people are coming in from all nice provinces via road and air travel. The money is largely going towards transportation of the people,” he said.

He added that a substantial portion of the R20 million is coming from the existing budgets of the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC).

Ramaphosa added that donations have been received for the National Dialogue digital platform. Some goods and services, such as the venue, screens for public viewing, and rail and road transport, are being provided at no cost.

“The reduced costs associated with the hosting of the National Dialogue and the funding plan are aimed at reducing the cost to the fiscus,” he said.