In response, the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee, Hon Nxesi, expressed his gratitude on behalf of the Committee, for the Universities to have agreed to join in the debate on issues affecting South Africa's activities in the international arena. He explained that, as a follow up to the Department's outreach program in the different provinces in the country, the Committee was conducting oversight to establish to what extent the communities appreciated the South African foreign policy. The visit was also in response to President Zuma's directive that foreign policy must talk to domestic priorities. Consequently, the Committee had identified topics to focus on when tackling the questions it needed answered. The following were discussed: