South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (right) and his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinistö during a news conference in Pretoria April 25, 2023. PHILL MAGAKOE / AFP
The resignation took place on the same day. South Africa announced on Tuesday April 25 that it would not leave the International Criminal Court (ICC), having said so a few hours earlier.
“The Presidency wishes to clarify that South Africa remains a signatory to the Rome Statute (…) This clarification follows an erroneous comment during an ANC press conference [le Congrès national africain, parti au pouvoir] “, the presidency announced in the evening.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced for the first time on Tuesday that the ANC had demanded that the country, which had been criticized for its proximity to Moscow since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, leave the ICC. “The ruling party has made the decision because it believes it is reasonable for South Africa to withdraw from the International Criminal Court,” he said at a news conference following a visit by Finnish President Sauli Niinistö after an ANC meeting over the weekend.
Also Read: ICC Arrest Warrant Against Vladimir Putin Embarrasses South Africa
The International Criminal Court, based in The Hague, Netherlands, issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin in March for the war crime of “deportation” of Ukrainian children. But Pretoria is scheduled to host the Brics summit in August, which Russia is attending. South Africa, a member of the International Criminal Court, is set to arrest the Russian president if he enters its territory. The question of whether Pretoria will arrest Vladimir Putin will be “under investigation,” said the head of state in his first announcement of the day.
A withdrawal attempt in 2016
Russian President Vladimir “Putin can come to this country at any time,” ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula said earlier at a press conference. “The ICC does not serve the interests of all, but those of a few,” he added.
South Africa had already wanted to withdraw from the ICC in 2016 after a visit by former Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir. Pretoria had refused to arrest the latter, who was also the subject of a court warrant. But Pretoria’s withdrawal had been thwarted by the country’s judiciary, which deemed such a decision unconstitutional.
Even in the event of a withdrawal, South Africa would have been obliged to arrest Vladimir Putin if he went to the BRICS summit, as a withdrawal from the ICC would take more than a year to take effect from the date the ICC officially announced his departure. The procedure involves “a rigorous parliamentary process, we would still be bound by our obligations to the ICC 12 months after the announcement of our withdrawal,” said Nicole Fritz, director of the Helen Suzman Foundation, which works to defend human rights. . .
Also read: Article reserved for our subscribers War in Ukraine: Why the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin
African diplomatic power South Africa has refused to condemn Moscow since the start of the war in Ukraine, claiming to adopt a neutral position in order “to be able to play a role in resolving conflicts,” Cyril Ramaphosa said again, hinting that that he had met with Mr. Putin several times. The country also held naval exercises with Russia and China off its coast in February, sparking “concern” on the international stage.
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Links between South Africa and Russia date back to the apartheid era, when the Kremlin supported the ANC in fighting the racist regime.