The Department of International Relations and Co-operation (DIRCO) has dismissed an “opportunistic” petition submitted to the International Criminal Court (ICC) over a recent spate of xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
Chrispin Phiri, spokesperson for DIRCO, said the filing did not meet the requirements for an investigation by the international tribunal.
“South Africa notes that this filing fails to satisfy the statutory legal triggers and jurisdictional requirements necessary for action by the Court. Furthermore, under the foundational principle of complementarity, South Africa maintains full confidence in its domestic legal framework,” reads a statement released on Thursday.
Reuters previously reported that Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, a former Ghanaian government spokesperson on governance and security, and Emmanuel Kotin, a counter-terrorism and security analyst, requested the Court to investigate the attacks.
“For years, African brothers and sisters have been killed, beaten, and driven from their homes in South Africa,” they are quoted as saying.
More than 50,000 foreign nationals — mainly Malawian and Zimbabwean — have fled South Africa since the latest wave of xenophobic violence rocked the country. Officials say 350 people have been arrested in connection with the attacks.
Once the ICC receives a petition, it considers the jurisdiction, admissibility and the interests of justice to determine whether to proceed with an investigation.
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Image: The International Criminal Court in The Hague, last April. Credit: EUROPA PRESS
