Mzuvukile Jeff Maqetuka said the BRICS gathering in August will still take place in Johannesburg
South Africa will host the 15th annual BRICS summit this August, the country’s ambassador to Russia has confirmed, dismissing speculation that it may be moved elsewhere due to an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Speaking to RT on Friday, Mzuvukile Jeff Maqetuka said plans for the gathering between August 22 and 24 in Johannesburg were well underway.
Recent reports suggested that South Africa was considering relocating the summit to China in order to avoid dealing with the ICC’s warrant against Putin. It was issued in March on foot of allegations of war crimes. China, however, is not a party to the Rome Statute that established the ICC.
Maqetuka said Pretoria understands its international obligation as a signatory of the statute, but that there were no plans to move the event to another…
