Johannesburg - International relations officials have insisted the granting of diplomatic immunity to BRICS Summit attendees has "nothing to do" with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
This comes after the DA launched court action aimed at forcing the South African government to arrest him. In March, the party also launched a petition to have Putin arrested when he comes to South Africa for the BRICS Summit in August.
On Monday, the Department of International Relations and Co-operation (Dirco) gazetted a notice providing diplomatic immunity to officials attending the BRICS Summit.
The notice was declared in line with the Diplomatic Immunities and Privileges Act.
There has been pressure on the government to make a decision on the attendance of Putin, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes allegedly committed during his country’s invasion of Ukraine, over the unlawful deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia.
In the gazette, Dirco Minister Naledi Pandor stated that immunity is given for both the BRICS ministerial meeting, which is due to take place on June 1, and the BRICS Summit in August.
"In accordance with Section 6(1)(a) of the said Act, the immunities and privileges to be accorded to the participants of the BRICS Ministerial Meeting and the BRICS Summit for the duration of both meetings are those provided for in the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations and the 1947 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of Specialised Agencies, as may be applicable, and for their effective participation in the Ministerial Meeting and the Summit," it reads.
Also on Monday, the South African Defence Force (SANDF) indicated that it did not have authority to arrest Putin if he came here for the BRICS Summit.
According to eNCA, SANDF chief Rudzani Maphwanya was quoted as saying, the defence force does not have the power to arrest Putin.
"As a country, we are members of BRICS. We are the ones that were supposed to host, and the ICC issued a warrant of arrest for President Putin. We, as the defence force, do not have power because the legal space belongs to another department. The issue of the Rome Statute and the clauses that are quoted apply, and we are signatories. Those issues will be discussed by Minister Lamola," Maphwanya said.
The Star