Hours after South African President Cyril Ramaphosa stated that the governing African National Congress (ANC) was considering pulling out of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the President's office has retracted the claims.
Ramaphosa said on Tuesday that his "ANC has taken the decision that it is prudent that South Africa should pull out of the ICC largely because of the manner in which the ICC has been seen to be dealing with these types of problems."
The President was referring to the arrest warrant issued by the ICC against Russian President Vladimir Putin in March for his role in the Russian abduction of Ukrainian children. Putin has been invited to a summit in South Africa of the BRICS group (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) in August though Moscow is yet to uncertain whether he would attend.
However, Ramaphosa's office quickly backpedalled on the controversial statement. "The presidency wishes to clarify that South Africa remains a signatory (to the ICC)." The statement added that the "clarification follows an error in a comment made during a media briefing held by the governing African National Congress."
The ANC too issued a clarification regarding the withdrawal. A statement by party's secretary-general Fikile Mbalula read: "In outlining this broad context of discussion, an unintended impression may have been created that a categorical decision for an immediate withdrawal had been taken. This is not so," the ANC statement said.
The contradictory stance has sown confusion over South Africa's stance regarding its withdrawal from the ICC.
Earlier too, Putin's arrest had sown a confusion in South Africa with the state acknowledging that the arrest warrant had complicated matters for the country. "All heads of state would be expected to attend the summit. But now we have a spanner in the works in the form of this ICC warrant," Ramaphosa's spokesperson Vincent Magwenya had said.
South Africa shares a warm relations with Russia and Putin and the country had held joint naval drills with Russia and China early February, coinciding with the one year anniversary of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
However, experts say that even if South Africa pulls out of ICC, it would have little effect as the process would take many months even if it is approved at home. Since the BRICS meeting is in August, if Putin visits, the country would be theoretically be required to arrest Putin.
