Dlamini-Zuma refuses to comment on SA’s ICC move

African Union Commission chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma attended the African Editors Forum in Pretoria.

African Union Commission chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma attended the African Editors Forum in Pretoria.

Published Oct 24, 2016

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Tshwane – African Union Commission chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma was flooded with a barrage of questions over South Africa’s pending withdrawal from the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) when she attended the African Editors Forum in Pretoria on Monday.

“You’re drawing into a discussion about moving out of the ICC. I don’t want to be drawn into that. It’s a sovereign decision of South Africa. It was a sovereign decision to join and it’s their sovereign decision to go [withdraw],” Dlamini-Zuma addressed local and international reporters on the sidelines of the editors forum.

At one point Dlamini-Zuma asked her staff in charge of the media to “request that I am here for [African Union’s] Agenda 2063? and not for the ICC”.

Dlamini-Zuma said the African Union is not a member of the ICC and has no standing before the international court.

“As I am the chair of the AU Commission, I will not comment on that [South Africa’s withdrawal]. It’s a purely sovereign decision of each country to join or to pullout,” said Dlamini-Zuma.

“The only thing I can say is that countries must strengthen their judiciary. The ICC is a court of last instance. The first instance are the national courts. They must be strengthened so that they can indeed deal with situations that arise.”

She made reference to conviction of former Chad’s ex-ruler Hissene Habre by a court in Senegal, emphasising that Africa was capable of dealing internally with human rights violators.

“The former president of Chad has been tried in an African court, agreed by the AU and funded by the AU. The judges were coming from Africa. He has been tried for atrocities in Chad and he was found guilty by an African court. Of course now he is appealing his sentence,” said the South African former Cabinet minister.

“I’m saying the continent has mechanisms also of dealing with this, as we can see from the example of the former president of Chad.”

On Friday, Justice Minister Michael Masutha announced that the South African government has informed the United Nations of its intention to withdraw from the ICC.

“Written notice to withdraw from the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court has been submitted to the Secretary-General of the United Nations in accordance with article 127(1) of the Rome Statute of the ICC,” Masutha told a media briefing in Pretoria.

“The withdrawal will take effect one year after the Secretary-General has received the notification.”

South Africa will remain obligated under the Roman Statute for the duration of the 12 months’ notice period.

Several civil society institutions and political parties have indicated that they will challenge the decision to withdraw SA from the ICC in court.

The withdrawal of South Africa from a court which it helped found, will come into effect from October 19, 2017.

African News Agency

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