As South Africa commemorates Women’s Month and intensifies preparations for the National Dialogue process, women leaders, peacebuilding practitioners, civil society organisations, faith-based actors, academics and community organisers have gathered across KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape and Gauteng to advance peacebuilding, strengthen social cohesion and ensure that women’s voices help shape the country’s future.

The provincial dialogues form part of a national initiative led by the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR) in partnership with the South African Women in Dialogue (SAWID) and supported by the Embassy of Ireland in South Africa. Held under the theme “Building an Infrastructure for Peace: A Dialogue on Peacebuilding,” the engagements are part of IJR’s Ireland-funded project, Promoting the Women and Youth Peace and Security Agendas. The initiative seeks to strengthen community peacebuilding, conflict prevention and inclusive participation while ensuring that women’s experiences and priorities inform both local and national decision-making processes.

The series began in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, on 7 August 2026, bringing together women from civil society organisations, faith-based institutions, traditional leadership structures, academia and community peacebuilding networks. Participants reflected on the challenges confronting communities and explored pathways towards sustainable peace, reconciliation and social cohesion. Discussions focused on conflict prevention, community safety, women’s participation in peacebuilding and the localisation of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda.

The second engagement took place in Cape Town on 18 August, where women from diverse sectors gathered to contribute recommendations to South Africa’s evolving National Dialogue process. Opening the dialogue, Dr Fanie Du Toit, Interim Executive Director of IJR, and Ms Felicity Harrison, Senior Practitioner at IJR, emphasised the importance of strengthening peacebuilding from the community level upward and amplifying women’s voices in conversations about governance, social cohesion and democratic participation. Dr Du Toit highlighted the enduring significance of South Africa’s Constitution as a foundation for inclusion, justice and peacebuilding.

Participants were welcomed by Ms Caroline Peters, SAWID Western Cape Provincial Coordinator, while messages of support were delivered by Ms Mandisa Khanyile of the Civil Society National Dialogue Caucus and Ms Laura Baartman, Deputy Director for Court Preparation at the Western Cape National Prosecuting Authority. Speakers underscored the importance of collaboration, community-centred leadership and collective action to address the root causes of violence, exclusion and social fragmentation.

The provincial series concluded in Johannesburg on 21 August, where women leaders and community representatives gathered at the historic Trevor Huddleston CR Memorial Centre in Sophiatown for the Gauteng Provincial Dialogue on Peacebuilding. Sophiatown provided a powerful symbolic backdrop for discussions on peace, equality and democratic participation. As a place deeply associated with resistance, resilience and cultural diversity, the venue reinforced the connection between South Africa’s historic struggle for dignity and contemporary efforts to build peaceful, inclusive communities.

Opening the Gauteng dialogue, Ms Felicity Harrison, Senior Practitioner at IJR, and Ms Ndivhuho Sekoba, SAWID Gauteng Provincial Coordinator, stressed the importance of creating platforms that enable women to contribute meaningfully to conversations on peacebuilding, governance and social cohesion. They reaffirmed the critical role women continue to play in strengthening communities and advancing sustainable peace.

A message of support was delivered by Ms Maeve McLynn, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Ireland in South Africa, who reminded participants that peace cannot be taken for granted. She highlighted the value of inclusive dialogue, collective leadership and community-centred approaches to addressing the social and economic challenges confronting women and communities across South Africa.

Across all three provincial engagements, participants engaged in a participatory process rooted in reflection, healing, dialogue and collective problem-solving. A central discussion, “The Constitutional Vision Revisited,” invited participants to reflect on the promises of democracy, equality, dignity and justice enshrined in South Africa’s Constitution. Women examined the barriers that continue to prevent many communities from fully realising these rights and explored how peacebuilding approaches can help bridge the gap between constitutional ideals and lived realities.

The dialogues form part of a broader strategy to localise the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda, strengthen provincial peacebuilding networks, identify drivers of conflict and social fragmentation, and develop recommendations that can contribute meaningfully to South Africa’s National Dialogue process. The initiative builds on a continuum of IJR’s work advancing the Women, Peace and Security and Youth, Peace and Security agendas, anchored in United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 and South Africa’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security. It also draws on lessons from previous initiatives supported by the Embassy of Ireland, including Women and Youth Peace Labs, engagements with women church and traditional leaders, the Women’s Pre-National Dialogue, and consultations through the Civil Society Peace Table.

Recommendations emerging from the three provincial engagements will be consolidated and channelled into broader national conversations on peace, inclusion and democratic participation. Together, the dialogues seek to ensure that women’s perspectives and priorities are reflected in South Africa’s National Dialogue process and in broader efforts to build a more peaceful, just and inclusive society.

As the provincial dialogue series draws to a close, one message has emerged consistently from Durban, Cape Town and Sophiatown: Peacebuilding is not only a national imperative but also a community responsibility.