President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Tuesday (Apr 25) that his ruling African National Congress (ANC) party had resolved that South Africa should quit the International Criminal Court (ICC), which last month issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The ICC issued an arrest warrant against Putin in March meaning that Pretoria, due to host the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) bloc summit this year, would have to detain him on arrival.

“Yes, the governing party … has taken that decision that it is prudent that South Africa should pull out of the ICC,” Ramaphosa said during a press conference co-hosted with the visiting President of Finland Sauli Niinisto.