RSA: ICC Withdrawal Welcomed and Process With Parliament – Committee (03.11.2016)

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CAPE TOWN, South Africa, November 3, 2016 – The Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation has welcomed the withdrawal of South Africa from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The Chairperson of the Committee, Mr Siphosezwe Masango, said the repeal process will soon begin, once the Speaker of the National Assembly has referred the matter to relevant parliamentary Committees.

“We agree with Justice Minister Mr Michael Masutha’s statement on South Africa’s withdrawal from the ICC this afternoon in the House. For a long time we have witnessed the unevenness of international justice and the lack of universality of application in the manner in which countries are treated,” Mr Masango said.

“The ICC is biased towards selectively targeting African heads of states. Leaders of the permanent members of the United Nation’s Security Council are never acted against when they transgress,” he said.

On 19 October, the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ms Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, handed to the United Nations Secretary-General South Africa’s intention to withdraw. Subsequently, Mr Masutha presented a statement that was discussed in Parliament. Of the nine cases in front of the ICC currently, eight involve African presidents.

South Africa: Time to account for crippling the state (01.11.2016)

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South African citizens across the land are speaking out and taking action to express their dissatisfaction. The Nelson Mandela Foundation supports the demand to hold to account those responsible for compromising our democratic state and looting its resources.

Twenty years since Nelson Mandela signed South Africa’s Constitution into law and as the third anniversary of his passing approaches, it is painful for us at the Nelson Mandela Foundation to bear witness to the wheels coming off the vehicle of our state.

We have seen a weakening of critical institutions such as the South African Revenue Service, the National Prosecuting Authority and law enforcement bodies due to political meddling for private interests.

We are reaping the results of a political trend of personalising matters of state around a single individual leader. This in a constitutional democracy is to be deplored.

The ability and commitment of the Head of State to be a ‘constitutional being’, is one of the wheels of our state. The unanimous judgment of the Constitutional Court of the Republic in the matter of President Zuma and the use of state resources on a private residence was one such test. It is increasingly a national consensus that he has failed the test.

As this particular wheel rolls away, other critical institutions of state break off to follow it. The legislative, business, and public service sectors of the country are severely affected, compromising the ability of the state to serve the people. A battle now rages to keep SARS attached to the vehicle of state. What public discourse has described as ‘state capture’ by private and political interests is, we believe, a real threat to the Republic.

Another wheel is an accessible and well-functioning education system. Arguably this wheel has never been fully attached, but the failures of the last two decades threaten that it rolls away. Schools, in our view, particularly those in townships and rural areas, have largely been captured to political interests and have deteriorated to unimaginable levels. And now universities are being brought to their knees as they lurch from crisis to crisis while a semblance of normality is enforced under what are effectively states of emergency. This is not sustainable for any education system. The potential collapse of universities will damage our democracy to its core.

We call on the governing party to take the steps necessary to ensure that the vehicle of state be protected and placed in safe and capable hands. And we join the call for a national convention of stakeholders to begin to reimagine South Africa’s future beyond the unsustainable stresses of the moment.

Written Press Statement by the Nelson Mandela Foundation

Readout of the Secretary-General’s telephone call to H.E. Mr. Jacob Zuma, President of the Republic of South Africa (31.01.2016)

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The Secretary-General expressed his regret over South Africa’s decision to withdraw from the International Criminal Court.

NEW YORK, United States of America, October 31, 2016 – The Secretary-General spoke with H.E. Mr. Jacob Zuma, President of the Republic of South Africa. He acknowledged South Africa’s leading role in addressing pressing global issues, particularly with respect to peace and security in Africa and the Climate Change agreement. He thanked President Zuma for the constant support he has given to the Secretary-General on these issues.

The Secretary-General expressed his regret over South Africa’s decision to withdraw from the International Criminal Court and recalled the key role that the Government of South Africa had played in the negotiations that led to the adoption of the Rome Statute and as one of its first signatories. Noting that he appreciates the continued and unwavering commitment of the South African Government to justice and accountability, the Secretary-General expressed the hope that it would reconsider its decision before the withdrawal takes effect in twelve months’ time.

The Secretary-General also expressed his preoccupation with the situation in the South Sudan, and urged South Africa’s support in calling for an end to hostilities and a return to an inclusive political process.

RSA: Confidential for External Proactive use only – Barloworld Equipment clears dispute with OCM (27.10.2016)

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