Those convening the national dialogue promised by President Ramaphosa could learn from the innovative Violence Prevention Forum.
In 2015, the VPF was established as a platform for dialogue among representatives from government, non-governmental organisations and researchers. The relationships between these three sectors were fraught with power differences and mistrust. Communication between them was often poor and antagonistic, which hampered the use of knowledge and evidence to prevent violence. The VPF set out to build trusting, collaborative partnerships and share knowledge and evidence to inform practice and policy.
As a result, government officials gained a deeper appreciation of the range of violence prevention interventions that are working and being tested. They have started to consult and partner more with researchers and NGOs to develop policy. The importance of dialogue and good relationships in enabling the use of evidence and scaling up interventions is increasingly recognised globally and among forum participants. The VPF's approach doesn't focus on seeking consensus or clear agreements. Instead, its value is bringing together people with different perspectives, urging problem solving and collaboration to achieve a shared goal - reducing violence in South Africa.