Dinokeng Scenarios

INTRODUCTION / CONTINUED
VOICES OF DINOKENG
Perspectives from members of
the Dinokeng Scenario Team.
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I grew up in a struggle culture
and have high aspirations for our
people and our nation. Suddenly
we find this dream unravelling.
We had this beautiful vision for
the country. Sometimes in my
quiet moments I now have mixed
feelings of happiness and
disappointment. I want to
contribute to this Dinokeng
exercise in the hope that together
we can make a small contribution
to fundamentally changing the
country’s future course.
If you study countries in transition
you will see a “mood pattern”.
It’s a global trend. Look at
Southern Europe, South America;
it always starts with euphoria.
Mandela represents our euphoria.
We still rely on the Mandela magic.
We haven’t taken responsibility
at a very subconscious level.
We expect from the world that we
have given them Mandela and
they must give us the cheque.
We believe in the miracle, and
then we discover that it’s not the
way the world works. We move to
disillusionment. That’s where we
are now. Both euphoria and
disillusionment are a mistake.
We are in a period of transition
in which making proportionate
decisions is difficult. Both
euphoria and disillusionment
are disproportionate responses.
The exercise has been generously sponsored by Old Mutual and Nedbank who have provided
the funding, together with project, infrastructure and logistical support. The Old Mutual
Group believed that the time was right to create an opportunity for healthy debate about
the future of the country. They also decided that the initiative should be conducted in the
public interest; the agenda and outcome would be determined by the participants and the
results published in the public domain.
The Scenario Team met in the north-eastern corner of Gauteng known as Dinokeng. Dinokeng
is in a catchment area between two rivers and its name derives from the Sepedi word
meaning “a place where rivers flow together.” The location captured the spirit of the dialogues:
a flowing together of ideas and perspectives in the forging of a common future. It also
gave its name to the scenarios the Team produced: the Dinokeng Scenarios.
With their deep collective experience and expertise, and with input from experts in various
fields, the Scenario Team considered our key accomplishments and failures since 1994,
and the critical challenges that lie ahead.
The Team is diverse; a group of individuals with widely differing perspectives and experiences.
They debated robustly and did not agree on everything. What they do share is a common
commitment to the principles of our Constitution, an appreciation of the heritage of our
past, and a very real concern about how they, as citizens, can contribute to the construction
of a sustainable future for South Africa.
What follows is a presentation of the Team’s efforts in the hope that this work will contribute
to the national dialogue, and ultimately to a future that lives up to the promise of 1994.
We are as South Africans capable
of realising the country’s potential,
if only we are able to dig deep into
ourselves to find the resolve to
do so.
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