Justice Minister Michael Masutha has formally withdrawn SA’s decision to pull out of the International Criminal Court, says a report in The Mercury. Masutha confirmed in Parliament yesterday that the country would not withdraw from the ICC. The decision has ended months of speculation after an earlier decision by the government to pull out, says the report. Speaker Baleka Mbete said in a note in Parliament that Masutha was withdrawing the implementation of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Repeal Bill, which would have started the process for South Africa to withdraw from the ICC.

Full report in The Mercury (subscription needed)

The withdrawal follows a High Court ruling that the process of withdrawal was unconstitutional and pressure from prominent jurists, who said SA would be better placed to fight for ICC reform from within, notes Legalbrief. According to a News24 report, the DA has welcomed the withdrawal of the Bill. The party’s James Selfe said: ‘It may well be that the ICC requires reform and SA should actively engage in discussions around such reform. However, this does not mean that SA should join the polecats of the world in abandoning our commitment to human rights by leaving the ICC entirely.’

Full News24 report