S. Africa's ANC in Parliament welcomes decision to withdraw from ICC

The Office of the African National Congress (ANC) Chief Whip on Friday welcomed the decision by the government to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

"It is our long-held view that the ICC has long diverted from its mandate of being an independent and objective instrument in bringing an end to heinous crimes against humanity and the violation of human rights on the African Continent," spokesperson Moloto Mothapo said.

Instead, the ICC has allowed non-member states to dictate and interfere with its work to suit their own imperialist agendas, Mothapo said.

The ANC reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the protection and promotion of human rights on the continent of Africa and beyond, he said.

"We are steadfast in our belief that those who have committed crimes against humanity must be prosecuted and punished by an impartial body empowered by international cooperation to defend the universal values of justice," said Mothapo.

The ANC therefore reiterates its call on the African Union to strengthen its own institutions designed to promote human rights and protect the people of Africa against crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes of aggression where they cannot find justice in their own countries, Mothapo said.

"As the ANC in Parliament, we will be ready to carry out our legislative function as part of the parliamentary process of repealing the Implementation of the Rome Statute once it has been introduced to Parliament by Cabinet," he said.

Earlier on Friday, Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Michael Masutha confirmed that South Africa has begun the process of withdrawing from the ICC.

South Africa is hindered by the Rome Statute under which the ICC was established, Masutha explained, adding that the Rome Statute compels SA to arrest people who may enjoy diplomatic immunity but who are wanted by the ICC.

He was referring to Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir who is wanted by the ICC for alleged anti-humanity crimes. South Africa rejected a request by the ICC to arrest al-Bashir when he was attending the 25th African Union Summit in Johannesburg in June, 2015.

The South African government argued that in addition to complying with its obligations to the ICC, the country has obligations to the AU, which rules that no organization can arrest any sitting head of state in African countries.

Masutha said implementation of the Rome Statute is in conflict and inconsistent with provisions of the country's Diplomatic Immunities & Privileges Act.

"Our focus is to ensure that international law obligations are properly aligned with our domestic law, without the uncertainties and contradictions that exist," the minister said. Enditem