Ace throws another hot potato at Cyril

Despite fresh rumblings within the ANC for the resuscitation of its national conference resolution for SA to pull out of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the decision taken in 2017 was unlikely to carry weight, experts warn.

Secretary-general Ace Magashule and national spokesperson Pule Mabe have been among ANC national executive committee members vocal about the resolution’s implementation. Nelson Mandela University political lecturer Ongama Mtimka said Magashule was “being selective” on which resolutions should be implemented.

“That resolution tuned out to be a hot political potato for the administration of President Cyril Ramaphosa, hence it is now gathering dust… It was a resolution passed under the Jacob Zuma presidency, which [is not] in line with the new government’s agenda,” he said.

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Independent political analyst Dr Ralph Mathekga said the ANC’s ICC resolution was taken “at the time the ANC was moving in a different direction”.

“The current internal ANC debate is going to be a test for the Ramaphosa leadership, because it is not just about this being an ANC resolution, but about the president of the ANC leading the party to consider several other resolutions, including the ICC.

“Another factor is that Africa has since then seen a huge-geopolitical shift in support of the ICC.”

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