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South African government applied for warrant to arrest Vladimir Putin

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South African government applied for warrant to arrest Vladimir Putin:

Dear Editor

The Democratic Alliance (DA) can today reveal that, in direct response to pressure from our court application to enforce the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) directive for Russian President Vladimir Putin to be arrested on charges of war crimes for the abduction of Ukrainian children, South Africa’s National Director for Public Prosecutions (NDPP) on 17 July 2023 received a formal request from the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development for the issuance of a warrant to arrest Putin.

This fact was confirmed in an order issued this morning by the Gauteng High Court in the DA’s case to compel the South African government to uphold its responsibility to arrest Putin.

The court also ordered that the Director-General of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development must pay the DA’s legal costs in this case.

According to an affidavit belatedly filed yesterday by the Director-General of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, Advocate Doctor Mashabane, the Department formally requested the NDPP to issue a warrant of arrest for Putin in a letter that was delivered to Advocate Shamila Batohi on Monday, 17 July.

This was in the same week that the DA’s court application was heard.

This means that, thanks to the DA’s sustained political and legal pressure to ensure compliance with our country’s international obligations, the government on 17 July 2023 formally initiated the process to arrest Vladimir Putin should he set foot on our soil.

Despite President Cyril Ramaphosa’s best efforts to shield Putin from accountability for his alleged war crimes – including through his absurd claim that the South African Constitution somehow prohibited him from complying with the ICC directive – it is now clear that the DA’s commitment to justice and the rule of law has been completely vindicated.

The Justice Department’s request for Batohi to issue a warrant of arrest for Putin directly contradicts Ramaphosa and confirms the DA’s stance that this was always the only correct course of action.

Thanks to the DA’s sustained fight on this issue, we have forced the South African government to uphold the rule of law in spite of Ramaphosa’s attempts to protect Putin.

This DA victory sends a clear message to the global community that, thanks to a patriotic official opposition and a justice system anchored in our Constitution, South Africa is not yet a lost cause in the global fight for a better world.

The DA hopes that our success in compelling the government to initiate arrest proceedings against Putin will begin to restore our country’s global standing and avert looming economic catastrophes like potential sanctions and South Africa’s ejection from the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA).

The DA’s victory in this case sends a clear message to the global community that while the African National Congress (ANC) may have chosen the side of tyranny over justice and the rule of law, the DA and the people of South Africa will not allow a governing party who’s time in power is rapidly running out, to do so in our name.

Regards

John Steenhuisen MP
Leader of the Democratic Alliance

– MyZA

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The Oriental Plaza: A Phoenix in Fordsburg

If Johannesburg is a city of forced displacements, the Oriental Plaza is its most resilient response. While the Rand Club was built for the elite and Ponte for the “jet-set,” the Oriental Plaza was born from the trauma of the Group Areas Act—a piece of Apartheid legislation designed to geographically separate the races. Yet, in true Johannesburg fashion, what was intended as a tool of containment and financial ruin for the Indian community transformed into one of the most vibrant, independent commercial powerhouses in the country.

The story of the Plaza begins with the destruction of Pageview, affectionately known as Fietas. In the mid-20th century, Fietas was a legendary multicultural hub, centered around the bustling 14th Street. It was the city’s premier destination for textiles, clothing, and spices, where shoppers of all races would rub shoulders in a “jazzy, soulful” atmosphere. However, because Fietas was located so close to the white-only city center, the Apartheid government declared it a “white area” in 1962. The community fought back for decades, but by the 1970s, the bulldozers arrived. Homes were leveled, and the thriving traders of 14th Street were forcibly relocated to a purpose-built, modernist complex a kilometer away in Fordsburg: the Oriental Plaza.

The government’s intent was cynical: by moving the traders into a controlled environment with high state-mandated rents and strict rules on what could be sold, they hoped to break the back of Indian commercial dominance. The early years were devastating; many businesses folded, and the “Grand Bazaar” felt like a sterile warehouse compared to the street-level energy of Fietas. However, the traders refused to vanish. They eventually won the right to purchase their own shops, making the Oriental Plaza unique among South African malls because it is owned by the shopkeepers themselves rather than a corporate landlord. This ownership model changed everything. Without the burden of massive monthly mall rentals, the 360+ independent stores can offer prices that national retailers cannot touch, turning the Plaza into a “bargain-hunter’s paradise” that draws millions of visitors a year.