South Africa remains participant in ICC

During the Finnish leader's visit to South Africa, confusion arose after President Cyril Ramaphosa stated that the governing party, the ANC, had decided that South Africa would withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC). However, the presidency later clarified that this was an error, and South Africa remains a participant in the Court. South Africa is due to host a summit of a group of countries including Russia in August, but as a member of the ICC, it would be required to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin if he enters the country, as the ICC issued an arrest warrant for him in March. South Africa is considering a legislative amendment to reflect all the articles of the Rome Statute, the ICC's founding document. In 2016, South Africa attempted to withdraw from the ICC after refusing to arrest former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who was also the subject of an arrest warrant from the Court. However, the country's judiciary ruled that such a decision would be unconstitutional. The African National Congress (ANC) has criticized the ICC in the past, but the party and South Africa's presidency presented the potential withdrawal as "an option that would arise as a measure of last resort in the absence of legal options that would result in fairness and consistency in the administration of international law." The ANC has discussed revitalizing the Malabo protocol, which would establish a continental criminal court that would complement the ICC as a court of last resort. The NEC also discussed amending national legislation to domesticate the Rome Statute. South Africa has chosen to remain neutral regarding the conflict in Ukraine, stating that it prefers "dialogue to end the war."