CAPE TOWN, Premier Alan Winde of South Africa’s Western Cape province has warned that Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) officers will arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin if he sets foot in the region. This statement came after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Putin for war crimes committed during Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. The South African national government’s confusion over abandoning the ICC’s obligation to arrest Putin has caused concern among the Western Cape government.
“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,” said Premier Alan Winde. “If the Russian leader sets foot in the Western Cape, we as the provincial government will have him arrested by our own Western Cape Government-funded LEAP officers.”
The Premier added that the Western Cape government will not only fight for the fundamental rights and freedoms of its citizens but is also willing to show solidarity with Ukraine by taking a stand against the brute force unleashed on its civilians by Russia. South Africans celebrated Freedom Day on Thursday, a reminder of the long and often-violent struggle that the country endured to achieve democracy.
Many South Africans are not free from fear, and 29 years into their democracy, they have yet to achieve economic freedom. The Premier concluded by saying, “I am highly disturbed by how the ANC national government is entirely focused on taking steps to ensure the freedom of Vladimir Putin instead of focusing on securing freedoms for South Africans.”