SOUTH African President Cyril Ramaphosa has reversed his pledge to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC) just months before he is scheduled to host Russia’s Vladimir Putin, who is wanted by the ICC for alleged war crimes.
Ramaphosa’s statement on Tuesday that South Africa would repeal its membership in the ICC, which hears cases of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, was later corrected by his office on Wednesday.
‘The December resolution was reaffirmed at a meeting of the National Executive Committee of the ANC during the weekend of 21 to 24 April 2023,’ said the presidency in a statement. ‘South Africa remains a signatory to the ICC in line with a resolution of the 55th National Conference of the ANC.’
The ICC issued an arrest warrant in March for Putin, accusing him of forcibly deporting children from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory, which Moscow denies. Putin is expected to visit South Africa in August for a summit of the BRICS group of emerging economies comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. As a member of the ICC, South Africa would be required to detain him.
‘The ANC decided at its national conference in December that South Africa should abandon a legislative process to pull out of the ICC and try to effect changes to the organisation from within,’ the presidency stated. The statement also mentioned that South Africa would work towards establishing an African continental criminal court that would complement the ICC as a court of last resort.
The reversal by South Africa has been met with mixed reactions. Some believe that the move will strengthen the ICC’s jurisdiction, while others are concerned that it could damage South Africa’s relations with Russia. Nevertheless, Ramaphosa’s decision suggests that the country will continue to cooperate with the ICC in its efforts to hold perpetrators of war crimes accountable.
