‘How I wish President Putin could make a turn in Cape Town’ – Malema

Julius Malema

Cape Town – EFF leader Julius Malema has reacted to Western Cape Premier Alan Winde’s remarks that “Russian President Vladimir Putin will be arrested if he “sets foot” in his province.

Winde on Thursday lambasted President Cyril Ramaphosa for inviting Putin to South Africa despite a warrant for his arrest.

“Even in the face of this arrest warrant, national government has the gall to invite President Putin to a Brics summit in South Africa, scheduled for later this year. This is unacceptable and deplorable.

“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 Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) officers. If the SA Police Service is unable or unwilling to act, then we must,” said Winde.

But Malema tweeted: “How I wish President Putin could make a turn at Leeuwenhof Gardens, Cape Town. I just want to see something.”

His deputy Floyd Shivambu added: “Winde is a clown like the other clown who’s declared the EFF his number one enemy. Putin will not be arrested, and all that’s happening in Eastern Europe will culminate in the reconfiguration of global balance of forces, which will replace unipolarity with multi-polarity. Clowns will dwindle into insignificance.”

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against Putin in March, meaning South Africa, due to host the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (Brics) bloc summit this year, would have to detain him on arrival.

The warrant against Putin stemmed from accusations that Russia unlawfully deported Ukrainian children.

According to EWN, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said that while Winde could continue dreaming of arresting Putin, he must remember that South Africa was one state.

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Compiled by Betha Madhomu

 

Mbalula lashes out at Winde over Putin arrest remarks

Cape Town – ANC Secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has hit back at Western Cape Premier Alan Winde after he threatened to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin if he entered the province.

Putin is expected to visit South Africa in August for the Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit which will take place in Johannesburg.

However, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against Putin in March, meaning South Africa would have to detain him on arrival.

The warrant against Putin stemmed from accusations that Russia unlawfully deported Ukrainian children.

“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 Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) officers. If the SA Police Service is unable or unwilling to act, then we must,” said Winde on Thursday.

But Mbalula said Winde doesn’t have powers to stop anyone coming to South Africa.

“Allan Winde doesn’t have powers to stop anyone coming to this country western cape is a province not a country under a unitary state,” Mbalula tweeted.

Former finance minister Tito Mboweni also concurred, saying Winde seemed not to know the limits of his powers.

“Premier Alan Winde seems not to know the limits of his provincial powers! What a joke! These people!,” Mboweni tweeted.

Meanwhile, EFF’s Nazier Paulsen also slammed Winde’s statement.

“We really need to be free of the f**cktards running the Western Cape. They can’t eradicate the WC of gangsterism and drugs but want to arrest the leader of the world. Imagine the little pissant MEC for Comm Safety arresting Putin. It’s freaken funny,” tweeted Paulsen.

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We’ll arrest Putin if he sets foot in Western Cape – premier

Cape Town – Western Cape Premier Alan Winde says provincial police will arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin if he sets foot in the province.

He lambasted President Cyril Ramaphosa for inviting Putin to South Africa despite a warrant for his arrest.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against Putin in March, meaning South Africa, due to host the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (Brics) bloc summit this year, would have to detain him on arrival.

The warrant against Putin stemmed from accusations that Russia unlawfully deported Ukrainian children.

“Even in the face of this arrest warrant, national government has the gall to invite President Putin to a Brics summit in South Africa, scheduled for later this year. This is unacceptable and deplorable.

“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 Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) officers. If the SA Police Service is unable or unwilling to act, then we must,” said Winde.

He said the Western Cape would continue to show solidarity with Ukraine.

“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 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,” he said.

Winde’s remarks came after South Africa was left with diplomatic egg on its face when Ramaphosa made a dramatic u-turn on Tuesday on the country’s participation in the ICC.

In a statement, the Presidency re-affirmed that South Africa was not planning to quit the ICC, as earlier suggested by Ramaphosa, citing a communication error from the ANC.

Earlier, Ramaphosa had said the ANC had decided to withdraw South Africa from the ICC.

“The presidency wishes to clarify that South Africa remains a signatory (to the ICC),” the presidency said.

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It said the “clarification follows an error in a comment made during a media briefing held by the governing African National Congress (ANC)”.

The ANC had earlier told journalists that the issue of South Africa withdrawing from the ICC had been raised at a weekend meeting of its national executive council.

Pretoria has close ties with Moscow dating back decades to when the Kremlin supported the ANC’s fight against apartheid.

South Africa has refused to condemn the invasion of Ukraine, which has largely isolated Moscow on the international stage, saying it wants to stay neutral and prefers dialogue to end the war.

The country has “adopted this stance of being non-aligned to ensure that we are able, as a country to play a role in helping conflict to come to an end”, said Ramaphosa.

He said he had spoken to Putin several times and “my message has been clear. There needs to be negotiation”.

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Compiled by Betha Madhomu

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