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Godi welcomes SA’s move to exit ICC

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African People’s Convention (APC) Leader, Themba Godi, has welcomed cabinet’s decision to start the process of withdrawing from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

This follows the announcement that was made by Justice Minister Michael Masutha on Friday.

Masutha has already informed the National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete and National Council of Provinces (NCOP) Chairperson, Thandi Modise, about the Cabinet decision to withdraw South Africa from the Rome Statute of the ICC.

Godi says the ICC has a lot of global scandals that affect power relations.

“We think that the ICC was established with noble intention, but it is clear that in its practice there are a lot of global scandals that affect power relations – where powerful nations have a free ride whereas the weaker nations become the whipping points of that institution. The funny thing about the ICC is that it has a security council that must decide finally on such referrals and yet permanent members like Russia, China and America are not signatories to the ICC statue and yet they are the ones that must referred to the ICC.”

The notice of withdrawal highlights the dilemma South Africa faced last year when it came under pressure to arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir at an African Union summit in Johannesburg.

Al-Bashir is wanted by the ICC for alleged war crimes in Sudan.

Click on the video below to watch Justice Minister Michael Masutha clarify South Africa’s withdrawal from the ICC:

[Source: SABC]
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