NCOP shields Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa from al-Bashir questioning
17 June 2015
During today’s National Council of Provinces (NCOP) oral questions session, NCOP chairperson Thandi Modise unashamedly protected Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa from answering a question posed to him on Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir’s recent visit and evasion of justice.
The question that was asked to the Deputy President was the following:
If the South African government is committed to upholding democratic institutions, including respecting resolutions adopted by Parliament such as the Rome Statute, why did the government allow President Al Bashir to leave South Africa when there is an international warrant for his arrest for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide; and what steps will the Honourable Deputy President, as special envoy to South Sudan, take to ensure that those in contempt of the South African High Court order will be held accountable?
The Deputy President did not answer the question due to NCOP Chairperson Thandi Modise ruling that the matter was before the courts and therefore sub judice. This is a deliberate abuse of the sub judice rule and completely incorrect.
The Pretoria High Court ruled on the matter earlier this week and embarrassingly found that the state’s failure to comply with the warrant of arrest issued by the International Criminal Court and the obligation to detain al-Bashir was inconsistent with the Constitution.
Further, South Africa has violated its commitments as a signatory to the Rome Statute and ignored the Implementation of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Act 27 of 2002.
Today, the Deputy President squandered an opportunity to start the process of restoring faith in the South Africa’s judicial system and to recommit the country to protecting international human rights and our respect for law.
South Africans deserve answers and the DA will continue to ask questions until we get them.
Statement issued by Jacques Julius MP, DA NCOP Member Gauteng, June 17 2015
