Delays and disruptions plagued the programme, the facilitation often lacked the professionalism demanded by the moment, and the choice of speakers and facilitators seemed more about superficial political choreography than intellectual and technocratic depth.

Last week South Africa hosted its inaugural National Convention, as part of the National Dialogue process. For those of us who have long argued for a citizen-led process to rethink and renew our democratic compact, the mere fact of its convening was a modest triumph. The symbolism of President Cyril Ramaphosa's presence lent the event a measure of legitimacy. The head of state's endorsement is no small matter in a political environment where similar civil society and faith-based initiatives have often withered due to a lack of coordination and resourcing.

Yet, the real test of democratic renewal is not in symbolic gestures. It is in the design, execution and follow-through of such processes. On those fronts, the convention fell short, for now.

The promise of dialogue

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At its core, the idea of a national dialogue is to bring together diverse voices across society to deliberate on our shared challenges and chart a way forward. Last week's event managed to gather an impressive range of participants - civil society leaders, business figures, political representatives and ordinary citizens. South Africans showed that there is still an appetite for a collective conversation about the future of the country.

But dialogue is not mere...