Govt has no plans ‘yet’ to move Brics summit to another country – Ntshavheni

Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni says the South African government has no plans yet to move the Brics summit to another country.

Ntshavheni was seemingly responding to media reports claiming South Africa was considering moving the summit to China to avoid the obligation to arrest Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.

The ICC in March issued an arrest warrant for Putin for the war crime of “deporting” Ukrainian children.

As a member of the ICC, South Africa is obliged to arrest Putin if he attends the Brics summit later this year.

South Africa, which is the Brics chair for 2023, is scheduled to host Brazil, China, India, and Russia at the summit in August.

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Briefing the media on the outcomes of a Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday, Ntshavheni said while South Africa had no plans to move the summit to another country, this could change depending on the outcomes of an interministerial committee set up by President Cyril Ramaphosa to investigate the matter.

“When the IMC has finalised its work and updates cabinet after considering the options, an announcement will be made on a final decision as to whether SA will host the Brics summit. As it stands, we are moving in preparation to host the summit,” Ntshavheni told the media.

Ntshavheni further said the gazetting of a notice for the Diplomatic Immunity and Privileges Act was standard practice for international summits held in South Africa.

“The immunities are for the conference and not for specific individuals. This is a standard conferment of immunities that we do for all international conferences and summits held in South Africa irrespective of the level of participation,” she said.

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“They are meant to protect the conference and its attendees from the jurisdiction of the host country for the duration of the conference.”

Putin’s arrest warrant

The arrest warrant has divided South Africans, with some calling for Putin’s arrest, while others, including the Economic Freedom Fighters, say no one should touch the Russian president.

In an interview with the BBC last month, African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said if it was up to the ruling party, no one would touch Putin if he were to set foot in the country.

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“If it was according to the ANC, we would want President Putin to be here even tomorrow. We would welcome him here as part and parcel of Brics, but we know that we are constrained by the ICC, in terms of doing that,” said Mbalula.

“Putin is a head of state, do you think that a head of state can just be arrested anywhere?”