If Putin comes to Western Cape, LEAP officers will be instructed

Media release: If Putin comes to Western Cape, LEAP officers will be instructed to arrest him

President Cyril Ramaphosa and the ANC-national government this week showed absolute confusion over whether or not they intend to have South Africa abandon the International Criminal Court (ICC) to avoid an obligation to arrest Russian President, Vladimir Putin, if he steps on South African soil.

This comes after the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin for war crimes committed during Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.

“Even in the face of this arrest warrant, national government seemingly intends to push ahead and host President Putin at a BRICS summit in South Africa, scheduled for later this year. This is unacceptable and deplorable,” stated Premier Alan Winde.

He added, “Putin has consistently and violently eroded the freedoms of the Ukrainian people and those in his own country who dare take a principled stand against his brutal actions. If the Russian leader sets foot in the Western Cape we as the provincial government will have him arrested by our own Western Cape Government funded Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) officers. If the South African Police Service is not instructed to act, we will,” the Premier warned.

South Africans on Thursday celebrate Freedom Day; itself a reminder of the long, often violent struggle South Africa endured to achieve democracy. “The Western Cape Government (WCG) will not only fight for the fundamental rights and freedoms of our citizens but is also willing to show solidarity with Ukraine by taking a stand against the brute force unleashed on its civilians by Russia. I am highly disturbed by how the ANC national government is entirely focused on taking steps to ensure the freedom of Vladimir Putin, instead of focusing on securing freedoms for South Africans, many of whom are not free from fear, and have yet to achieve economic freedom, 29 years into our democracy,” concluded the Premier.