ANC silent on Putin arrest warrant, EFF says Russian leader welcome in SA

The ANC has remained silent about the International Criminal Court’s issuing an arrest warrant for Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, but the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) said the Russian leader was “welcome” in South Africa.

South Africa faces a diplomatic problem because Putin is among the international dignitaries expected to attend the Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) summit in the country in August.

During a media briefing earlier this week, ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula dodged a question about whether the government would arrest Putin should he enter the country.

South Africa as a member state of the ICC is legally obliged to arrest Putin. But the country has rich historical ties with Russia. This puts pressure on President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has already been caught in the crossfire between Russia and the United States.The ANC has remained silent about the International Criminal Court’s issuing an arrest warrant for Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, but the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) said the Russian leader was “welcome” in South Africa.

South Africa faces a diplomatic problem because Putin is among the international dignitaries expected to attend the Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) summit in the country in August.

During a media briefing earlier this week, ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula dodged a question about whether the government would arrest Putin should he enter the country.

On Thursday EFF leader Julius Malema took a firmer stance than the governing party on the Putin issue.

“If need be, we will go and fetch him from the airport to his meeting, he will address, finish all his meetings, we will take him back to the airport.

The beliefs of the EFF per Wikipedia. They sound like a fun bunch of folks

Ideology
The EFF “draws inspiration from the broad Marxist–Leninist tradition and Fanonian schools of thought in their analyses of the state, imperialism, culture and class contradictions in every society”, according to its constitution.[5][44] The EFF states that it takes inspiration from Burkinabe President Thomas Sankara in terms of both style and Marxist ideology.[45] Prominent EFF member Jackie Shandu declared the party a “proudly Sankarist formation”.[6]

Economics
It criticises the African National Congress and their primary opposition, the Democratic Alliance, for their allegedly pro-business stances, which it claims have sold out the black people of South Africa to capitalism as cheap labour. It promises to tackle corruption, provide quality social housing, and provide free primary healthcare and education for all, as well as proposing to expropriate White-owned farmland, nationalise the mining and banking sectors, double welfare grants and the minimum wage, and end the proposed toll system for highways.[46]

The EFF has been vocal in its criticism of black business owners and black owners of mining companies in South Africa. In an address at the Oxford Union in November 2015, Malema spoke out against billionaire mining company owner Patrice Motsepe.[47][48] Further protests in 2015, the EFF delivered demands that included the socialisation of the mining sector and called for more explicit targets for the 26% BEE ownership required by law.[49] The EFF is a vocal proponent of expanding the role of South African state-owned enterprises in the national economy.[50][51] Malema addressed a crowd in Marikana, Rustenburg in the platinum mining area, blaming mining companies and calling out platinum mining company Lonmin in particular, for poverty in the region.[52]

Foreign policy
The EFF presents itself as a Pan-Africanist party and supports the proposal for a United States of Africa. In respect to this, the EFF and Malema have repeatedly praised former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, promising to implement many of the policies in South Africa that Gaddafi implemented in Libya.[53][54][55] The party is against presence of the American military bases in Africa, most notably in Botswana.[56] Prior to forming the EFF Malema had called for the overthrow of Khama’s government in Botswana.[57] The EFF is critical of France’s presence in Africa; in 2022 the party picketed outside of and ultimately barricaded the country’s embassy in Pretoria.[58] The French ambassador to South Africa criticised the EFF for scapegoating France as the supposed source of all Africa’s problems.[59] The EFF is against Zionism.[60]

The EFF officially supports Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, commending what they refer to as Russia’s “anti-imperialist programme” against NATO.[56] The party is strongly critical of Israel and its conflict with the Palestinians;[61] referring to the country as “evil” and advocating for its destruction.[62][63] In September 2022 the EFF announced that they would not mourn the death of Queen Elizabeth as “she never once acknowledged the atrocities her family inflicted on native people that Britain invaded across the world.”[64] The EFF also supports closer relations with China and considers Taiwan to be an “integral part” of the People’s Republic of China, and has called the Chinese Communist Party the “torch-bearer for all Marxist–Leninist formations in the world”.[65]

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