Jacob Zuma

==== International Criminal Court ====
South Africa hosted the 25th Summit of the AU in [[Johannesburg]] from 7 to 15 June 2015. It was attended by Sudanese president [[Omar al-Bashir]], then a fugitive from the [[International Criminal Court]] (ICC), which sought to prosecute him on charges of [[genocide]] and [[crimes against humanity]]. South Africa was a signatory to the [[Rome Statute]], which obliged it to arrest al-Bashir, but instead granted him diplomatic immunity while he attended the summit.<ref name="News24-2015b">{{Cite web|date=2015-06-15|title=Laughter as court told al-Bashir has left|url=https://www.news24.com/News24/Laughter-as-court-told-al-Bashir-has-left-20150615|access-date=2022-01-12|website=News24|language=en-US}}</ref> While the matter was being adjudicated by a South African High Court, and just after Judge President [[Dunstan Mlambo]] ordered al-Bashir's arrest, the state's lawyer told the court that he had left the country.<ref name="News24-2015b" /> His plane left from [[Air Force Base Waterkloof|Waterkloof Air Force Base]], presumably with the government's knowledge<ref name="Cilliers-2017" /><ref>{{Cite news|last=Onishi|first=Norimitsu|date=2015-06-15|title=Omar al-Bashir, Leaving South Africa, Eludes Arrest Again|language=en-US|work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/16/world/africa/omar-hassan-al-bashir-sudan-south-africa.html|access-date=2022-01-12|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and reportedly with Zuma's explicit approval.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hunter|first=Qaanitah|date=2015-06-18|title=How Zuma and ministers plotted Omar al-Bashir's escape|url=https://mg.co.za/article/2015-06-18-how-zuma-and-ministers-plotted-omar-al-bashirs-escape/|access-date=2022-01-12|website=[[Mail & Guardian]] |language=en-ZA}}</ref> When it was criticised for this breach, the South African government argued that the ICC was used unfairly against African heads of state while failing to hold Western leaders to the same standards.<ref name="Mpungose-2018" /><ref>{{Cite web|last=Bowcott|first=Owen|date=2015-06-15|title=Sudan president Omar al-Bashir leaves South Africa as court considers arrest|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/15/south-africa-to-fight-omar-al-bashirs-arrest-warrant-sudan|access-date=2022-01-12|website=The Guardian|language=en}}</ref> In 2016, it announced in [[New York City|New York]] that it was withdrawing from the ICC,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Du Plessis|first=Max|date=2017-12-10|title=South Africa's latest threat to withdraw from the ICC, or, How to Squander Leadership|url=https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2017-12-11-south-africas-latest-threat-to-withdraw-from-the-icc-or-how-to-squander-leadership/|access-date=2022-01-12|website=Daily Maverick|language=en}}</ref> and Zuma's administration subsequently tabled legislation to effect the withdrawal.<ref name="Fabricius-2019">{{Cite web |last=Fabricius |first=Peter |date=2019-11-15 |title=Is Ramaphosa still kicking the ICC can down the road? |url=https://issafrica.org/iss-today/is-ramaphosa-still-kicking-the-icc-can-down-the-road |access-date=2022-01-12 |website=ISS Africa |language=en}}</ref>