By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The African National Congress (ANC) has broken its silence about the Innternation Criminal Court’s issuing an arrest warrant for Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
In a short statement posted on twitter, the party said, “it has taken note of the ICC decision on Russian president Vladimir Putin and it is engaging its deployees in government to gain indepth understating about the implications taken by the court.”
South Africa faces a diplomatic problem because Putin is among the international dignitaries expected to attend the Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) summit in the country in August.
South Africa as a member state of the ICC is legally obliged to arrest Putin. But the country has rich historical ties with Russia. This puts pressure on President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has already been caught in the crossfire between Russia and the United States.
The US has already indicated that it would review South Africa benefiting from its trade pact with African countries, after a controversial naval exercise off of the KwaZulu-Natal coast involving the South African, Russian and Chinese navies.
Pretoria has taken a controversial “neutral” stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at the United Nations General Assembly, to the frustration of its Western trade allies.
South Africa had been at odds with the ICC, when the ruling ANC resolved to withdraw from the body which it had accused of targeting African leaders. The party changed its tune last year, opting to review its decision to withdraw because of the “changing balance of forces”.
In 2015 the government came in for criticism when it failed to arrest the then Sudanese president, Omar al-Bashir, when he visited South Africa to attend an African Union summit. South Africa was required to do so because it is a signatory to the Rome Statute.
Al-Bashir had been indicted for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, but the administration of then president Jacob Zuma allowed him to leave the country despite a court order specifically prohibiting his departure. Shortly afterwards, some proponents of the ANC called for the withdrawal from the Rome Statute.
They believed the government’s obligation to arrest heads of state implicated in crimes against humanity, specifically in Africa, complicated South Africa’s efforts to resolve conflicts on the continent. The ANC, along with other African states that were strongly agitating for an “African solution to African problems”, also believed the ICC was targeting Africa while ignoring leaders in the West.
Meanwhile the ANC’s caucus is meeting this weekend to map a way forward for the upcoming 2024 general elections.
Speaking on the sidelines of the lekgotla held at Birchwood Hotel in Johannesburg , Majodina said the country said unseating the ANC was a priority for the opposition parties.
“They tried with a motion against the president [Cyril Ramaphosa] and a no-confidence against the Speaker [Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula] – which we all defeated. And we know there’s another motion in the pipeline against the president again and we’re going to defeat that too.
“They’ve agreed to work together and take the ANC out of power. A coalition is practically there against the ANC,” she said.
Majodina added that the lekgotla served as an opportunity for the ANC machinery “to oil itself up” in preparation for the looming elections.