South Africa needs to develop a broadly shared understanding of the concept of national interest, which International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane says should not be too “narrow in scope and overly economic in its focus”.

The Minister was speaking during the Wits University workshop on the implementation of the National Development Plan (NDP), which is the blueprint for where government wants to see the country in 2030.

“This is essential for the effective implementation of government’s mandate, as well as to coordinate and forge a common understanding across all government departments, entities and institutions that engage in international relations and cooperation. We must therefore continue a wider dialogue on our national interest,” she said on Tuesday.

If the country is to find its own voice in international affairs, Nkoana-Mashabane said the opportunities offered by “ubuntu diplomacy” should be seized.

“The philosophy of ubuntu is the recognition of our interconnectedness and interdependence and it shapes our unique approach to international relations.”

She said the philosophy of ubuntu has played a major role in the forging of a South African national consciousness in the process of democratic transformation and nation-building.

As the country continues to examine national interest, the Minister said the nation should not lose sight of how South Africa can use and leverage “soft power” in international relations.

Nkoana-Mashabane said the strategic assessment of the country’s current and future diplomatic footprint across the world was an ongoing exercise.

She described the NDP as a living document with bold and far-reaching objectives, encompassing all the elements necessary to improve the lives of all people.

“As a living document, it is open to innovation and fresh perspectives that are intended to improve and sharpen it,” she said.

However, its baseline and fundamentals are non-negotiable and this non-negotiable is what is central to the NDP, which is “writing a new story for South Africa”, the Minister said.

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation’s role in the implementation of the NDP is mentioned in Chapter Seven of the document, which, among other things, recommends the establishment of a high-level task team to investigate South Africa's foreign relations.

This includes studies on understanding, appreciating and explaining the notion of national interest and its role as a tool of diplomacy; understanding South Africa’s place in the continent in the context of African geopolitics; clarifying South Africa’s role in the world and outlining South Africa’s role in multilateral relations.