​​ An interactive discussion which forms part of a series focused on what South Africans would want in a future South Africa will be hosted at Stellenbosch University (SU) on Wednesday, 10 April for members of the public, non-governmental and community organisations.

The event takes places at the Jannasch Lecture Hall in the Konservatorium at Stellenbosch University from 12:00 to 14:00.

Hosted by the Community Chest of the Western Cape, the District Six Museum, the One City, Many Cultures Project and the Faculty of Arts and Social Science at the University of Stellenbosch, this event follows similar discussions at the District Six Homecoming Centre in February and at Paarl Boys High in March. It will be followed by more events across the province in the next two months.

The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at SU will host the event thanks to the ties that Ms Ncebakazi Mnukwana, a lecturer in the Music Department, has built up as a Board member of One City, Many Cultures and the writing project she participates in at the District Six Museum. The event forms part of the SU100 celebrations within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

The discussion, facilitated by media expert Ryland Fisher and Babalwa Gusha, Programme Coordinator at Stellenbosch University's Transformation Office, will reverse the traditional trend of panel discussions. The discussion will start with inputs from the floor and invited respondents in the audience will be allowed to comment at the end. This is to ensure that more people are able to participate in the discussion within the limited time allocated.

“We started with a discussion on the role of NGOs in an election year and followed this up with a discussion on the South Africa we all want to live in. It became clear that we needed to take this discussion outside of the Cape Town metropolitan area," said Community Chest CEO Lorenzo Davids.

Bonita Bennet, Director of the District Six Museum, added: “We want to know from ordinary people what are the issues we want government to deal with. How do we interact with government in a way that will help them achieve a more equitable society? How do we fix the many things that are wrong in our country so that we can all look forward to a better and more positive future? What do we want the country we live in to look like?"

“We will bring together a group of people who are interested in taking forward the vision of a more equitable society irrespective of political affiliation. Our aim is not to point fingers at anyone but to help in the search for solutions."

Fisher said that after all the dialogues – the final one will be in May, after the elections – the organisers intend to draw up a report that will be circulated to senior politicians and municipalities throughout South Africa to give them an idea of the views of a broad range of South Africans.

The Stellenbosch dialogue will be the third in the “South Africa We Want" series, following the one held in Paarl on 14 March.

The event starts at 12:00 and will run till 14:00. It will be held in the Jannasch Lecture Hall in the Konservatorium in Stellenbosch.

Lights snacks will be served before and after the discussion. For catering purposes, RSVP to reception@districtsix.co.za.

For more information, contact Ryland Fisher (rylandfisher@mweb.co.za or 082 800 5326), Bonita Bennett (bonita@districtsix.co.za or 021 466 7200) or Lorenzo Davids (ldavids@comchest.org.za or 021 487 1500).

Photo: Panellists at the first interactive dialogue hosted at the District Six Museum in January. From left, media expert Ryland Fisher, IEC provincial commissioner Rev Courtney Sampson, Stellenbosch University music lecturer Ncebakazi Mnukwana, Interim Director at the Bertha Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Bulelwa Makalima-Ngewana, Community Chest CEO Lorenzo Davids, District Six Museum Director Bonita Bennett and Human Rights Commissioner Rev Chris Nissen.