Daughter defends Zuma's refusal to arrest al-Bashir

Former President Jacob Zuma’s daughter last week defended her father in Parliament over a decision not to execute an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in 2015, reports EWN. A new MP for her father’s MKP, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, has hit back at the Democatic Alliance (DA) for continually criticising the decision, saying it is ignoring the complexities of Sudanese politics and Western influence. Zuma-Sambudla was speaking during a briefing by the Department of International Relations on SA’s ongoing role in the civil war in Sudan. New Minister of International Relations Ronald Lamola said SA remains committed to ending conflicts on the continent that threaten instability for the region. The DA’s Emma Powell said SA could have helped to stem the violence nine years ago if the former Sudanese leader was arrested during a visit to the country. But Zuma-Sambudla said her father, the President at the time, did the right thing. ‘President Zuma’s stance was rooted in protecting African sovereignty against external manipulation.' She said the DA was ignoring the role of Western nations in African conflicts. ‘The hypocrisy of the DA and the selective outrage over African leaders such as Jacob Zuma and Omar al-Bashir is very hypocritical,’ she is quoted as saying.

See also full Cape Times report

Full EWN report