DA to approach International Criminal Court if Ramaphosa 'fails' to intervene in Zimbabwe crisis
21 January 2019
The DA plans to approach the International Criminal Court (ICC) if President Cyril Ramaphosa fails to intervene directly to stop the "ongoing human rights violations" on Zimbabweans, allegedly by president Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government.
"If Rampaphosa fails to intervene and advise Mnangagwa to stop the military clampdown on civilians, the DA will be left with no option but to approach the ICC to consider a preliminary investigation into these violations as outlined in the Rome Statute," said Stevens Mokgalapa, the party's spokesperson on International Relations and Co-operation.
"The ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor is empowered by the Rome Statute to '…determine whether there is sufficient evidence of crimes of sufficient gravity falling within the ICC’s jurisdiction, whether there are genuine national proceedings, and whether opening an investigation would serve the interests of justice and of the victims'."
Mokgalapa said the DA strongly believed that the human rights crisis currently existing in Zimbabwe was of sufficient gravity to warrant an ICC investigation "because, according to the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, at least 12 people have been killed, 78 shot at and 240 faced 'assault, torture, inhumane and degrading treatment'."