Durban – President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to make an announcement soon on the decision he will make regarding Russian president Vladimir Putin’s attendance at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg.
Ramaphosa says he is still deliberating on the matter with the summit scheduled to take place in August.
The International Criminal Court has issued a warrant of arrest for Putin, for alleged war crimes in Ukraine.
Ramaphosa has also appointed a panel to probe claims made by the US ambassador to South Africa Reuben Brigety that a Russian ship had taken weapons and ammunition on board in the Western Cape.
The Presidency said the terms of reference for the inquiry would not be gazetted or published and the investigation covers issues of national security and classified information, which is protected from disclosure.
The DA said it had submitted an application in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) to obtain a copy of the panel’s terms of reference, while the party is obtaining legal advice to “challenge Ramaphosa’s plan to hide the report once it is complete”.
“The issue of President Putin attending the summit, the BRICS summit as I have said, is being discussed in the light of the International Criminal Court having issued a warrant for his arrest,” Ramaphosa said.
“We, South Africa being the host, obviously, have to discuss this and come up with a clear position.”
Ramaphosa on Tuesday, during official talks with Portuguese President Marcelo de Sousa Stressed South Africa’s non aligned stance in global matters.
“The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has had a global impact.
“As South Africa we believe that negotiation and dialogue can indeed play an important role in resolving conflict. We know this from our own experience of our transition to democracy.
“We continue to advocate for rules-based multilateralism that should be at the centre of global efforts to address common challenges,” Ramaphosa said.