Cape Town — A delegation of African National Congress (ANC) members, including National Executive Council member Alvin Botes—who also serves as deputy minister of International Relations and Cooperation—are on a working visit to Russia, The Sowetan reports. The trip follows an invitation from United Russia, the country’s largest political party and holder of the State Duma majority since 2007, which described South Africa as a “longstanding ally and friend.”
The diplomatic exchange raises concerns because the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who is expected to attend the BRICS Summit in South Africa in August. ANC national spokesperson Bhengu Motsiri said the delegation will discuss “recalibration of the global order to reverse the consequences of neocolonialism and the previously prevailing unipolar world.”
South Africa’s cooperation with Russia since Putin’s war in Ukraine has drawn criticism from the United States and local opposition parties. International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor has repeatedly emphasized that South Africa is maintaining a “non‑aligned stance” on the conflict. Nevertheless, naval drills conducted in February with Russia and China were condemned by the Democratic Alliance, which argued that the exercises demonstrate a departure from neutrality. The U.S. State Department added, “We encourage South Africa to cooperate militarily with fellow democracies that share our mutual commitment to human rights and the rule of law.”
South Africa’s current diplomatic dilemma echoes a similar episode in 2015, when Sudanese leader Omar Al Bashir visited the country for an African Union summit after the ICC issued an arrest warrant for him. The Zuma administration refused to act on the Hague Court’s order, citing immunity for sitting heads of state under international law, allowing Bashir to evade arrest.
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