Free Trial

Western Cape Premier Says Putin Would Be Arrested If He Came To Province

SOUTH AFRICA

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde criticised President Cyril Ramaphosa for inviting his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to the August BRICS summit hosted by South Africa. Winde, a member of the main opposition Democratic A noted that "if Putin comes to the Western Cape, we will arrest him."

  • “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."
  • His comments highlight domestic tensions over the invitation extended to Putin by South African authorities, with the arrest warrant issued against the Russian leader by the International Criminal Court putting his potential visit into question.
  • Note that the BRICS summit will take place in Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, rather than the Western Cape. Still, Winde's remarks come as the Democratic Alliance is accusing the national ANC government of supporting a war criminal.

To read the full story

Close

Why MNI

MNI is the leading provider

of intelligence and analysis on the Global Fixed Income, Foreign Exchange and Energy markets. We use an innovative combination of real-time analysis, deep fundamental research and journalism to provide unique and actionable insights for traders and investors. Our "All signal, no noise" approach drives an intelligence service that is succinct and timely, which is highly regarded by our time constrained client base.

Our Head Office is in London with offices in Chicago, Washington and Beijing, as well as an on the ground presence in other major financial centres across the world.