Cape Town - The government will review its membership in the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the wake of a dispute with the court over failure to arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe said on Thursday.
The diplomatic row erupted on June 15, when al-Bashir flew out of South Africa as world powers and activists urged the government to arrest him under a warrant from the ICC on charges of masterminding genocide in Sudan's Darfur region.
“Cabinet decided that it will review South Africa's participation in the Rome Statutes of the International (Criminal) Court,” Radebe told reporters during a post-cabinet meeting briefing.
He added the government would only leave as a “last resort”.
“Such a decision will only be taken when South Africa has exhausted all the remedies available to it,” he said.
Al-Bashir, who was in Johannesburg for a African Union summit, was allowed to take off even though a court had issued an order banning him from leaving until the end of a hearing on his case.
As the row has simmered, top officials have said SA should cut ties with the ICC over its alleged bias towards Africa.
The ICC is “dangerous” and SA should withdraw from it, Gwede Mantashe, secretary general of the ANC said on Monday.
A judge asked prosecutors on Wednesday to consider charging government officials over the decision to allow al-Bashir to leave.
The government was due to issue an affidavit in court on Thursday explaining why it allowed Bashir to leave but its contents were not expected to immediately be made public.
Reuters