Pretoria – The announcement Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be coming to South Africa to attend next month’s BRICS summit has prompted different reactions from local political parties.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) said it notes the communication from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office that President Putin will not attend the BRICS summit in South Africa.
“This outcome is not unexpected considering the lack of security guarantees by the ANC government to the Russian Federation, which failed to protect not only a strategic global partner but also a historical ally in our fight against colonial domination and imperialism,” the EFF said.
Earlier Wednesday the SA Presidency announced that President Putin, who has an ICC warrant of arrest hanging over him, will not be attending the BRICS Summit.
The EFF said: “It must therefore be highlighted that President Putin’s withdrawal is a consequence of the South African state’s reluctance to be firm on international affairs and their inability to resist pressure from NATO.
“Further hypocrisy lies in the fact that the ICC has not prosecuted individuals like George Bush and Tony Blair for war crimes, raising questions about its impartiality, yet our government bows to its threats.
“The EFF cautions all member states of BRICS that South Africa is currently led by a spineless government that will never meaningfully take forward efforts to grow the strength of the Global South and its allies.”
Commenting on the development, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said it, “welcomes the announcement by the Presidency that President Putin will not attend the upcoming BRICS summit in South Africa in August”.
The DA added: “Getting Vladimir Putin to bend the knee before the rule of law is no small feat, and the DAs victory to keep him out of our country is a victory for South Africa.
“This decision follows the DAs application in the Gauteng High Court to force the South African government to arrest Putin if he set foot in our country, as demanded by an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant.”
The SA Presidency announced that the summit will be attended by the leaders of Brazil, India, China, and South Africa.
“By mutual agreement, President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation will not attend the Summit but the Russian Federation will be represented by Foreign Minister Mr. Sergev Lavrov.”
The announcement puts an end to weeks of speculation about whether South Africa would honour its ICC commitments and arrest Putin if he attended the BRICS summit.
The governing African National Congress (ANC) said it welcomes the mutual decision for Putin not to attend the summit.
“This announcement by the Presidency also helps put an end to months of international speculation about the circumstances under which the BRICS summit in South Africa will be had,” the ANC said.
“We look forward to getting down to the important work of the Summit and mapping out a strategic future for the BRICS partnership together with other south-south cooperation initiatives.
“The ANC reiterates its stance on a negotiated end to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
“In this regard, the ANC will continue to encourage the peace efforts such as the African Heads of State Mission and other initiatives.”
However, RT is reporting that Putin will attend the summit via video link.
