Ubuntu, public policy ethics and tensions in South Africa's foreign policy

ABSTRACT

This article examines the practicability of Ubuntu in public policy, in particular the domain that concerns South Africa's external relations. The authors contend that advancing Ubuntu in a world that is increasingly fractured along identity lines, marked by anxiety and characterised by realism and interplays of power is an ideal worth pursuing. This article shows that there is dissonance in South Africa in the rhetoric that champions Ubuntu and the actual policy practice in crucial dimensions. The authors not only set out to mark the contours of the disjuncture between the rhetoric of Ubuntu and its application in both public policy and foreign policy, but also make a case for advancing Ubuntu as an integral part of public policy and a standard against which to measure success.

KEYWORDS:

• Ubuntu
• public policy
• ethics
• foreign policy
• South Africa

Notes on contributors

Mzukisi Qobo is Associate Professor at the SARChI Chair: African Diplomacy and Foreign Policy, University of Johannesburg. His research focus is on global governance, emerging powers, and Africa's place in the world.

Nceku Nyathi is Senior Lecturer at the Allan Gray Centre for Values-based Leadership, University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business.

Notes

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