Ramaphosa ordered to make public affidavit on Putin arrest

President Cyril Ramaphosa has been ordered to make public an affidavit he filed in response to a court application by the Democratic Alliance (DA) to compel the government to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin should he attend the BRICS summit in South Africa.

But in a responding affidavit, Ramaphosa described the DA’s application as “irresponsible” and said national security was at stake.

Signed in June and initially marked as “confidential,” Ramaphosa’s affidavit was published on Tuesday, after the court ruled it be made public.

“It is my constitutional duty to protect the national sovereignty, peace and order of the state,” Ramaphosa said.

Last month, Ramaphosa led a seven-country African peace delegation including representatives from Egypt, Senegal and Zambia, to talks in Kyiv and St. Petersburg.

DA leader John Steenhuisen praised the court’s decision, describing Ramaphosa’s argument that South Africa risked war with Russia as “farcical” and “flimsy.”

The ICC treaty states that a member country should consult the court when it identifies problems that may impede the execution of a request, and that the court may not proceed with a request that would require a state to act inconsistently with its obligations under international agreements with respect to state immunity.

South Africa is seeking an exemption under ICC rules based on the fact that enacting the arrest could threaten the “security, peace and order of the state.”