Cabinet has reaffirmed South Africa’s participation in the International Criminal Court (ICC) and confirmed that South Africa remains a signatory to the Rome Statute.
“South Africa will continue to advocate for strengthening institutions of global governance, and we continue to campaign for equal and consistent application of international law,” Cabinet said in a statement.
President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) that is chaired by Deputy President Paul Mashatile, which considered various options on the matter.
Earlier this week, the Presidency moved to clarify that South Africa remains a signatory to the Rome Statute and a participant in the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“South Africa remains a signatory to the ICC in line with a resolution of the 55th National Conference of the ANC – held in December 2022 – to rescind an earlier decision to withdraw from the ICC,” said the President’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya.
Magwenya explained that the ruling party’s 2022 decision was reaffirmed earlier this week at the party’s National Executive Committee meeting in which the NEC reflected on “the potential withdrawal from the ICC as an option that would arise as a measure of last resort in the absence of legal options that would result in fairness and consistency in the administration of international law.”
