Government is confused, SA must leave the ICC: Julius Malema

EFF leader Julius Malema on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the ANC and President Cyril Ramaphosa for confusing the nation regarding South Africa's position on the International Criminal Court (ICC).   

“The ANC is confused. I have never seen such a confused organisation that is controlled by white capital. The SG [secretary-general Fikile Mbalula] speaks from Luthuli House, says we are not moving out of the ICC; the president speaks from the Union Buildings, saying we are moving out of the ICC — on the same day. 

“Later in the evening they come back to say there was a mistake that was committed [and] we are not leaving the ICC. How can the president and the SG commit the same mistake?” asked Malema during a cleanup campaign in Soweto. 

He was referring to the government and the ANC's communication after a national executive committee (NEC) meeting on the matter.  

The government is considering various options after the ICC issued a warrant of arrest for Vladimir Putin last month. The Russian president is due to attend the Brics summit in Durban in August. South Africa is a signatory to the court, meaning it is obliged to do as the court orders. 

This is not the first time South African has been in this position. In 2015 it failed to arrest Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir after an ICC ruling.

In what appeared to be a case of miscommunication on the part of the government and the ANC, Ramaphosa and Mbalula on Tuesday contradicted one another on South Africa’s position on withdrawing its membership of the court.  

During a joint press briefing after a state visit by Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö at the Union Buildings in Pretoria this week, Ramaphosa said the country was pulling out because of “unfair treatment” by the ICC.   

“The governing party, the 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,” said Ramaphosa.

While the ANC and Ramaphosa withdrew their earlier statements, Malema said: “What an international embarrassment because this was said in front of a visiting head of state. 

“If you don’t know what these people are doing, just look at what they did the last time,” he said, referring to Al-Bashir. “We need to get out of the ICC because there is international inconsistency when it comes to the application of the rule of law by the ICC. 

“We cannot have people who committed genocide being free and America not even being a signatory at the ICC, yet we must be a signatory. It is very clear that the ICC has been created to [deal with] anyone who disagrees with America. We cannot allow America to police us with rules it cannot follow. 

“Why is George Bush not in prison? Why is Barack Obama not in prison? It is Obama who led the killing of brother Muammar Gaddafi here in Africa, so we cannot allow a situation where this thing is selective.”  

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