President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday said he has ordered the Cabinet to review the R700 million price tag for the National Dialogue.
Responding to questions in the National Council of Provinces, Ramaphosa said many people have become fixated on what the National Dialogue is going to cost.
“We are going to make sure that it is driven down. It is just an estimate,” he said.
Ramaphosa said they are going to make sure that they spend as little as possible, but at the same time, have as much consultation as possible.
“What has been put out as the budgeted amount is going to be looked at. I have said to my colleagues that the cost that has been put out must be driven down, and we must get to the bare bones and make sure that we have a very rich process of coming up of giving South Africans an opportunity of coming up with a very good outcome of the dialogue.”
Ramaphosa said the National Dialogue was well-conceived, articulated, and embraced by several people in the country.
“I would say that those who are developing doubts about the efficacy or ability of the National Dialogue to yield any results need to look at how we have forged social compacts in the past, and how they have moved us forward in the way of progress,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ramaphosa said Minister of Communications Solly Malatsi indicated that there would be public hearings around relaxing broad-based economic empowerment regulations in the ICT sector, viewed by some as a backdoor entrance to billionaire Elon Musk’s Starlink to operate in the country.
“There are going to be public hearings where our people will make inputs on the efficacy of what he has announced.”
He was responding to EFF MP Meisie Kennedy, who raised her concerns that the ruling elite have used black economic empowerment policy as a way to legally funnel billions of rand into politically connected elites.
“The EFF was, therefore, also not surprised when just last month, Mr President, you were set to offer regulatory assurance to Elon Musk, starting by bypassing necessary black economic empowerment,” said Kennedy, before asking about measures that will ensure foreign companies do not by-pass black economic empowerment laws to operate in the country.
“What he (Malatsi) has announced is very much in line with our laws. There is no violation as far as he is concerned and as far as I am concerned with regard to our laws, and it’s not specifically aimed at one or any company. It is aimed at ensuring that those who would be, whether local or from any other country, who want to participate in this process, may find greater ease in doing so.”
He assured that the government will never take any measures that are going to militate against the Constitution or violate the laws of the country wilfully.
“We will always seek to act in accordance with our laws, and always seek to act in accordance with our Constitution. We are a country and a government that is governed by the rule of law, so the rule of law applies, and we will follow the law as much as we possibly can. So be assured, if you ever had any fears, do not fear that we will violate the law,” he added.
Pressed by DA MP Nicolaas Pienaar about whether he will support investments such as Starlink without requiring businesses to hand over 30% of their companies, Ramaphosa said the government was committed to fostering economic growth and transformation.
“We came up with an equity equivalent measure that has enabled a number of offshore-based companies, who have had great challenges and difficulties because of the ownership structures of their businesses. We have come up with an equity equivalent solution…
Let me immediately say, we are not the only country in the world that requires that there should be local ownership, but we may well be the only outlier that requires equity equivalent, where we say, if you’re not able to have joint ownership, we want equity equivalent.”
