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 (TUT) Nelspruit campus, and a gala dinner in the evening at the Ngonyama Lodge which will be attended by the provincial Executive Committee (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-Nyamazane.
Representatives from student organisations 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 South Africa 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 and AIDS importance of skills training and acquisition and the importance of education will all be covered.
The objectives of the minister's Public Participation programme are:
- To ensure that the foreign policy of South Africa and the mandate of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation are popularised
- 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, the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and municipalities
- Ensure that a mutually beneficial engagement is established between the Department of International Relations and Cooperation 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.
Department of International Relations and Cooperation's Public Participation programme started last year September covering Limpopo, Eastern Cape and Free State.
Members of the media are invited as follows:
Venue: Main hall of the Tshwane University of Technology, Nelspruit campus
Date: 10 September 2010
Time: 10h00 to 13h00
For more information, please contact:
Saul Kgomotso Molobi
Cell: 082 940 1647
Tel: +27 12 351 0083
E-mail: molobisk@dirco.gov.za
Gilbert Mokwatedi
Tel: +27 12 382 4291
Cell: +27 83 713 4478
E-mail: mokwatedimg@tut.ac.za
