NedLACK or NEDLAC? Shall the people govern?

The purpose of Nedlac is strong and full of hope. It is there to promote goals for economic growth and to encourage and formulate procedures on socio-economic matters of South Africa. Nedlac gives organisations the opportunity to be able to voice their opinions and also put issues on the table. Nedlac will decide whether certain issues should become a priority and work programmes will be set up dedicated to deal with these issues. Overall, Nedlac attempts to translate the concept of “inclusive decision-making” and “the people shall govern” (http://www.nedlac.org.za/). Thanks to Mr. Mkhize for explaining the purpose of the Nedlac Initiative to all of us.

But is there a lack of effectiveness on the part of Nedlac? I think the problem is lying at the people who are involved. There is a perceived problem of Nedlac not living up to its expectations, so nobody is interested in Nedlac anymore.

Nedlac is a suitable negotiating forum that addresses national dialogue on socio-economic issues. This will only be true in practice if the stakeholders involved help Nedlad achieve their goals. Participation is vital, thus the four chambers involved with Nedlac should get up and become more involved.

Also, Nedlac needs a new image. It has to move away from its outdated practices from the day it was formed. On the whole, Nedlac is the ideal place to reach consensus between the stakeholders involved. However, the main problem lies with the actual transformation of the consensus into action.

(As an extra read, please visit the Business Report’s article on Nedlac by Alide Dasnois: http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=2554997&fSectionId=556&fSetId=662).