WHY DID SOUTH AFRICA NOT ARREST OMAR AL BASHIR?

COURTESY THE ILLEGAL ACTIONS OF SOUTH AFRICA

Today on 7 April 2017 SA defends its reasons in front of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands why it did not arrest Omar Al Bashir, the incumbent president of Sudan when he was in Sandton, South Africa during June 2015. There are no less than two international warrants of arrest out in respect of Al Bashir. And yet South Africa reneged on its international and national legal obligations to have him arrested.

On instructions from Numba One the court application in Pretoria was vigorously defended. The State Advocates even requested the court for more time to prepare!! I have my own mind about this lot!

However, the Court and later the Supreme Court of Appeal found that SA had an international obligation to arrest the man and that SA did not fulfill that obligation.

The ICC issued a notice calling on SA to come to court and state its reasons, if any, why it did not arrest him. And of course papers were filed to set out SA's version. The versions put forward by the ICC and SA differ widely and in material respects.

If you accept SA's version it is as innocent as a new born babe! It even went so far as to deny having attended a specific meeting with the ICC. If you accept the ICC version, it is clear that more than one person on behalf of SA are blatantly lying and hiding somewhere.

Please read the ICC papers at this link. I quote shortly from the ICC papers.

SA alleges that no article 97 consultations had taken place prior to the issuance by the Presiding Judge of Pre-Trial Chamber II. It further alleges that South Africa received “no notice whatsoever” of the urgent request made by the Prosecution on 13 June 2015 (“Urgent Request”) prior to the issuance of the Decision.

The ICC response to that is: Consultations took place at the Court on 12 June 2015 between the Ambassador of the Republic of South Africa to the Netherlands (“Ambassador”) and the Court prior to the issuance of the Decision. These consultations ended on that day. The Presiding Judge in his Decision was unequivocal when he stated “as there exists no issue which remains unclear or has not already been explicitly discussed and settled by the Court, the consultations under article 97 of the Statute between the Court and the Republic of South Africa have therefore ended”

In respect of the allegation that SA did not receive a notice from the court, the ICC states clearly the following: South Africa’s assertion in respect of notice is also factually incorrect: immediately after filing the Urgent Request with the Registry the Prosecution emailed a courtesy copy of the Urgent Request to the Ambassador. Shortly thereafter, the Prosecution spoke on the telephone directly with the South African Chief State Law Adviser (“Law Adviser”), who was present in The Hague, and offered to email him a copy of the Urgent Request. The Law Adviser declined to provide his email address to the Prosecution for this purpose and therefore it was impossible to email him a second courtesy copy of the Urgent Request. The Chamber subsequently issued the Decision.

Let us wait and see what the outcome will be. I will keep you updated.

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KING DAVID FIRST RUGBY TEAM INITIATION

Bryan Habana - image from the internet.

Look at the short video clip of the initiation of the newbies in the first rugby team of what I think was from King David High School. They came roaring down my street late one night singing their hearts out pushing this vehicle while the dogs were barking their hearts out.

Good luck boys. Thank you for enthusiasm.

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EARTH HOUR ON SATURDAY EVENING 25 MARCH 2017

Photograph of my dining-room while we were honoring and celebrating earth hour

My wife and our daughter and I were celebrating and honoring earth hour on Saturday and I decided to take this image of our dining-room. I painted the prophet on the right hand side of the image. 

I quoted from Exodus 35 the following words: Moses said to the Israelites, “The LORD has chosen Bezalel, the son of Uri and grandson of Hur, from the tribe of Judah. 31God has filled him with his power and given him skill, ability, and understanding for every kind of artistic work, 32for planning skilful designs and working them in gold, silver and bronze; 33for cutting jewels to be set; for carving wood; and for every other kind of artistic work. 34The LORD has given to him and to Oholiab son of Ahisamach, from the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach their crafts to others. 35He has given them skill in all kinds of work done by engravers, designers, and weavers of fine linen; blue, purple, and red wool; and other cloth. They are able to do all kinds of work and are skilful designers.

Please go to the link and search the Scriptures to read this fascinating portion.

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It was as if I had peered into hell’

Nuremburg Trial of the Nazi Criminals

Benjamin Ferencz, the chief prosecutor in the criminal trial of the Nazi war criminals said at 97 years of age: It was as if I had peered into hell’ I had the privilege of having met Mr Ferencz's son in South Africa a year or two ago - he is doing very the same kind of work he learnt from his father.

Please the moving article by Philppe Sands in the Guardian of him meeting with the son of one of the convicted criminals and how they visited the court room where his father was sentenced to death.

And the tragic occurrence during the week at Westminster in London. 

While I am writing this, I am mindful of our own bloody past. I recall the day the Zulu impi invaded Johannesburg and how the helicopters hovering around with police sirens wailing and complaining all the time. I walked out onto the streets of Johannesburg praying inside this mayhem and carnage. I do remember how 5 - 6 impi's stormed around me and just disappeared behind me in the streets. It was abundantly clear that those guys didn't wash before they arrived in Johannesburg.

Let us pray for people with murder in their hearts - let us pray that they repent and hand over their lives to Jesus Christ and live an upright life. 

 

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SOUTH AFRICA IN THE DOG BOX: INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT

WITH THE HELPING HAND OF NUMBA ONE

ZUMA THE PAINTER AND HIS FRIEND 

THE PROBLEM WITH THIS CARTOON IS THAT THE HOLE IS IN THE WRONG PLACE 

The International Criminal Court is not satisfied with the fact that my country under the leadership of Jacob Zuma assisted the wanted man Al Bashir from Sudan to escape the hand of international justice. Al Bashir got away with impunity. And Zuma smiles.

The ICC now called upon SA to appear before the Court on 7 April 2017 to explain its failure to arrest Al Bashir. Please read the Prosecutor Mrs Fatou Bensouda's speech at the UN on 13 December 2016 and more specifically paragraphs 16 e.v. Here is the link to her report.

ICC Prosecutor Mrs Fatou Bensouda delivering her report to the UN on 13 December 2016

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PUT DOWN YOUR CELLPHONE AND PICK UP A BIBLE AND READ IT

Pope Francis on St Peter's Square, Vatican City

Last Sunday Pope Francis urged the people to put down their cellphones and to pick their Bibles to read. Indeed!

We are approaching Good Friday or what we call Easter Weekend. It is the time when people kill one another on the South African roads in the name of having a good long weekend away from home. STOP! 

Read about the murder on Christ Jesus in the Gospel of John chapter 19 and more particularly verses 33 - 37. Fortunately it didn't stop there at the crime scene. Jesus Christ is alive. It is for you and me.

God bless you while you are reading your Bible. If you don't have a Bible, please get one.

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SYNCHRONICITY? AN ACT OF GOD? HE ESCAPED FROM DEATH

Norman Ndlovu - he escaped death on 14 October 2015

He escaped death! Another not. 

Early this Sunday morning  5 March 2017, Norman and I were driving along the highway and went past the Grayston Bridge when he told me his story of 14 October 2015 - the day that bridge collapsed.

The collapsed brigde on Grayston Drive Sandton on 14 October 2015

He was in a taxi on his way from Midrand to Johannesburg and had just passed the bridge when his cell phone rang. It was his friend in another vehicle who was way behind Norman. 

This friend of his just approached the bridge when he saw it collapsing and was extremely worried about Norman. The taxi driver immediately turned around and they went back to the scene.

Norman saw the taxi driver that was crushed to death still inside the wreck.

A day or so after the disaster, I attended a petrol station in that vicinity. I spoke to the petrol attendants who appeared to be in a state of shock. Yes - they were terribly shaken up. That taxi driver was a happy go lucky person who had just filled his taxi up. He then drove down Grayston Drive and was killed instantly. 

The one escaped. The other drove straight towards his death. 

Invoked or not, God is present. 

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