Ruling party in the dark over Putin's SA invite

The African National Congress (ANC) yesterday said it has not received an indication from the Kremlin whether Russian President Vladimir Putin will be attending the Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China, SA) summit in Johannesburg next month. Putin has a warrant out for his arrest by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes over Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. EWN reports ANC secretary-seneral Fikile Mbalula said the party’s national executive committee resolved that SA should rethink its subscription to international bodies. ‘In addition, SA must investigate either withdrawing or amending our commitment to some if the international institutions that do not serve our national interest.’ The ANC has previously attempted to withdraw SA from the ICC. However, in 2017, the courts overturned the decision, saying it needed to be approved by Parliament first.