Ubuntu and citizen diplomacy: a panacea and tools for diaspora organisation engagement in curbing crime and conflict in South Africa.

Abstract

Conflict is part of human existence as there is hardly any relationship that does not become tense. However, conflict can become violent if it is not managed by the parties involved, especially when they are from different cultures. A typical case is the perennial xenophobic violence that has bedevilled South Africa because of migrants from other African countries. This paper probed into the roles and efforts that diaspora organisations in South Africa are making in establishing a mutually beneficial relationship that can bring about peace and curb crime with the concept of citizen diplomacy and Ubuntu philosophy. Using a secondary data, the paper relied on text, websites and articles from Google Scholar and other search engines to aggregate literature to interrogate the subject matter. The paper used conflict theory to argue that, as long as groups exist and interact, they will always have struggles. The paper concluded that there was a need for an intentional approach for citizen and Ubuntu diplomacy, especially by African diaspora organisations by initiating and sustaining programmes that will look beyond conflicts by the group, and foster mutually beneficial friendship, and the foreign missions of the countries need to articulate the policy and support the efforts of the diaspora organisations.