South Africa’s National Dialogue officially entered a new phase on Saturday 13 June when the country’s LGBTQIA+ sector became one of the first constituencies to host a provincial pilot dialogue. The gathering brought together activists, community members, government leaders and civil society organisations at the Tshwane University of Technology in Pretoria West.
Held under the theme Leave No One Behind, the Gauteng gathering marked the launch of a nationwide provincial dialogue series that will feed into the broader National Dialogue of South Africa, a citizen-led process aimed at developing a new social compact and addressing the country’s social, economic and governance challenges.
A Seat at the Table
For LGBTQIA+ activists, however, the event represented more than another consultation process. It was a declaration that queer South Africans intend to play a central role in shaping the country’s future.
“We are not here to ask for permission to exist. We are not here to justify our identity or to beg for acceptance,” said Tebogo Legodi, Co-Chairperson of the LGBTQIA+ Sector of the National Dialogue Steering Committee. “We are here to exercise our right to shape the future of our country. We are here to contribute to a social compact that reflects us, that includes us, and that protects us.”
Addressing delegates at the opening session, Legodi described the National Dialogue as a critical opportunity to rebuild trust and strengthen democracy through meaningful public participation.
“The National Dialogue is not a talk shop, and it is not performative consultation,” he said. “It is a deliberate, structured, and constitutionally grounded effort to renew the promise of our democracy, to rebuild the fraying threads of our social fabric, and to reimagine, together, what it truly means to belong to this Republic.”
Legodi noted that the LGBTQIA+ sector’s inclusion in the process was the result of years of advocacy and organising.
“We did not arrive here by accident. We arrived through advocacy, through persistence, and through the collective determination of every queer South African who refused to be excluded from the tables where decisions are made.”
He added that the objective of the dialogue process was to help build a new social compact “that says, clearly and without qualification: no one will be left behind.”
Healing, Belonging and Becoming
Opening the proceedings, programme director Anzio Jacobs described the event as “a dialogue for healing, belonging and becoming”, highlighting the importance of creating accessible spaces where community voices can be heard.
“Healing is a very big part of something that we are needing to do as a sector,” Jacobs said. “This dialogue is really centred around the voices of the LGBTQIA+ community.”
He emphasised efforts to ensure participation from people who would otherwise have been unable to attend.
“These spaces are exclusionary by default and we find that it’s only those with resources that can come and join the conversation,” Jacobs said. “A big amount of effort went into ensuring that those that couldn’t easily transport themselves were accommodated.”
According to Jacobs, the Pretoria gathering is only the beginning of a national process.
“The dialogue will move and it will go to different provinces, it will go to different places and we’ll try and get more people involved along the way,” he said.
Defending Constitutional Gains
The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Andries Nel, Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Steve Letsike, National Dialogue project lead Edgar Mabothe, civil society leaders, academics, faith representatives and members of the LGBTQIA+ community from across Gauteng.
Deputy Minister Nel described the event as a historic milestone for LGBTQIA+ participation in South Africa’s democratic processes.
“This is not simply another meeting,” Nel told delegates. “It is a fundamentally important opportunity for LGBTQIA+ persons across Gauteng to bring their lived experiences, their truth, their hopes, their aspirations, and their policy recommendations into the heart of our democracy.”
Nel situated the dialogue within Pride Month, Youth Month and the 30th anniversary of South Africa’s Constitution.
“The National Dialogue of South Africa is a citizen-led, inclusive process designed to unite diverse voices, rebuild trust, and create a shared vision for our country’s future,” he said.
While celebrating South Africa’s constitutional protections for LGBTQIA+ people, Nel warned that rights gains remain under threat globally and across Africa.
“Across Africa, anti-rights legislation is rising at an alarming pace,” he said. “This regression is well-organised and well-funded. Our response must be equally organised.”
He stressed that constitutional protections must be translated into everyday realities.
“Progressive laws mean little if they remain distant from lived realities,” Nel said.
From Visibility to Power
Deputy Minister Steve Letsike framed the dialogue as part of South Africa’s broader project of democratic renewal.
“This is not merely a consultation,” Letsike said. “It is a democratic intervention in the unfinished work of our Republic.”
She argued that LGBTQIA+ voices are indispensable to any serious discussion about South Africa’s future.
“There can be no honest National Dialogue about South Africa’s future if the lives, fears, dreams, intelligence and leadership of LGBTI people are treated as secondary to the nation,” she said.
Letsike highlighted the links between LGBTQIA+ rights and broader struggles for social and economic justice.
“A democracy that asks some citizens to hide is not fully free, and a development model that forces people to choose between survival and authenticity is not development.”
She urged participants to move beyond visibility towards influence and policymaking.
“The LGBTI sector must enter the National Dialogue not only with testimony, but with theory; not only with pain, but with proposals; not only with visibility, but with power.”
“The question is not whether LGBTI people will be spoken about, but whether LGBTI people will help author the future.”
Building a New Social Compact
Representing the National Dialogue Secretariat, project lead Edgar Mabothe congratulated the LGBTQIA+ sector for becoming one of the first sectors to advance the dialogue process at community level.
“You’ve taken a leap forward. People are going to learn from what has transpired today,” Mabothe said.
He reiterated that the National Dialogue aims to amplify historically marginalised voices.
“Every voice needs to be heard. We come from a society where certain voices have already been marginalised and this is a transformation process that we need to make sure levels the playing field.”
Mabothe encouraged delegates to focus not only on challenges but also on solutions.
“We are on a journey towards a social compact,” he said. “When all the dialogues are done, at the end of the day, there must be a social compact.”
Throughout the day, participants engaged in discussions around five key themes: healing from trauma, gender equality and recognition, safety and justice, legal protection, and access to services.
The recommendations emerging from the Gauteng pilot are expected to inform future provincial dialogues and contribute to the broader National Dialogue process.
“The Space Is Ours”
Closing his remarks, Legodi invoked former President Thabo Mbeki’s famous declaration of belonging to underscore the place of LGBTQIA+ people in South Africa’s democratic project.
“I am a proud, queer African,” he said. “I take pride in my identity. I take pride in this community. I take pride in the struggles of those who came before us, and in the responsibility we carry to those who will come after.”
Officially launching the dialogue series, he delivered a message that resonated throughout the gathering.
“We are not guests at this table. We have earned our seat,” Legodi said.
“And we can declare, boldly, without hesitation, and without apology: the space is ours.”
