The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ms Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, to embark on an Outreach Programme in Mpumalanga, 10 September 2010

The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ms Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, will tomorrow on Friday, 10 September 2010, undertake a Ministerial Outreach Programme to Nelspruit, Mpumalanga. Her programme will be divided into two main events – her delivery of a public lecture at the Tshwane University of Technology’s Nelspruit Campus, and a gala dinner in the evening at the Ngonyama Lodge which will be attended by the provincial EXCO, Heads of Department, House of Traditional Leaders, business leaders and representatives of the civil society movement. Also invited are the representatives from the Pan African Parliament (PAP) and the Pan African Women Organisation (PAWO).

At TUT, the Minister will be hosted by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof Shongwe, and the Faculty of Humanities. Also to attend are the top management of the Tshwane University of Technology in the province, students of TUT, students from the four Further Education and Training Colleges from Barberton, White River, Nelspruit and Ka-Nyamazanie. Representatives from student organizations such as the South African Students’ Congress (SASCO) will also be in attendance.
The theme of this programme is “Balancing national, regional, continental and international interests – where does RSA draw the line through its Foreign Policy?”

The Minister’s speeches will cover the basic tenets of South Africa’s foreign Policy – which include dominant features; strategic approach; and what priorities inform our foreign policy implementation. Furthermore issues of the girl child; women emancipation; HIV/Aids; importance of skills training and acquisition; and the importance of education will all be covered.
The objectives of the Minister’ Public Participation Programme are:

• to ensure that the foreign policy of South Africa and the mandate of DIRCO are popularized;
• ensure that ordinary South Africans can link the country’s domestic priorities and the Department’s international engagements;
• establish and strengthen relations with the provincial leaderships across the country – namely, provincial EXCOs, Legislature, SALGA and municipalities;
• ensure that a mutually beneficial engagement is established between DIRCO and a host of non-state actors, i.e. ordinary public, academia, business, cultural and sporting fraternities, religious formations, members of the Diaspora, etc,   across the length and breadth of our country, so that we are able to solicit their views and secure their interest in our work; and last but not least,
• ensure that we are able to explain the basic pre-occupations of our foreign policy and how closely intertwined it is with our domestic policies.

In this regard, this public participation will ensure that ordinary South Africans can link the country’s domestic priorities and the department’s international engagements and also strengthen relations with the Provincial leadership across the country.

DIRCO’s Public Participation Programme started last year September covering Limpopo, Eastern Cape and Free State.

For more information, please contact the Chief Director for Public Diplomacy, Mr Saul Kgomotso Molobi on 082 940 1647, +27 12 351 0083 or e-mail him at molobisk@dirco.gov.za. Alternatively, please speak to Gilbert Mokwatedi, Head: Corporate Communications, at the Tshwane University of Technology, at +27 12 382 4291, +27 83 713 4478 or email him at mokwatedimg@tut.ac.za.

Issued by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation

OR Tambo Building
Soutpansberg Road
RIETONDALE
Pretoria, RSA
0002

7 September 2010