South Africa in embarrassment since ICC mandate against Vladimir Putin

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa refused to condemn the war in Ukraine launched by Russia and continued his proximity to Moscow, including here, during joint exercises with the Russian and Chinese navies, in Richards Bay, February 21, 2023. © Themba Hadebe / AP

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

South Africa has been concerned since the International Criminal Court issued an international arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin. Because Pretoria, close to Moscow and which refuses to condemn the war in Ukraine, intends to invite the Russian president to the BRICS summit at the end of August, but if he were to set foot in South Africa, the authorities would have the obligation to arrest him: the country is a signatory to the Rome Statute.

Advertising

Read more

With our correspondent in Johannesburg, Romain Chanson

One thing is certain: South Africa is unlikely to handcuff Russian President Vladimir Putin. So Pretoria is looking for a solution and is holding consultations to find a solution to the BRICS summit, which brings together Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The Minister of Foreign Affairs said she was waiting for an updated legal opinion on the issue, which she acknowledged was "obviously a matter of concern".

However, this would not be the first time that South Africa has flouted its accession to the Rome Statute. In 2015, Pretoria failed to arrest former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. South Africa even considered leaving the International Criminal Court in 2016.

The Democratic Alliance, the leading opposition party and supporter of the Ukrainian people, calls on President Cyril Ramaphosa to simply prevent the arrival of Vladimir Putin. In contrast, the radical Economic Freedom Fighters party says it is ready to welcome Putin with open arms, "we know our friends, we know they have liberated us," said party leader Julius Malema.

South Africa's ties with Russia date back to the apartheid era, when the Kremlin threw its support behind the African National Congress (ANC) in the fight against the racist regime.

The ANC, the ruling party, is not commenting and prefers to leave it to its government to set the record straight: it has five months to find a solution.

► Read also: War in Ukraine: towards a South African mediation?

Newsletter Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

Read on on the same topics:

  • South Africa
  • BRICS
  • Russia
  • International justice
  • Ukraine
  • Vladimir Poutine
  • Diplomacy