Economic Freedom Fighter leader Julius Malema warned Western Cape Premier Alan Winde he will “meet his maker if he touched Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Malema made the comments on the sidelines of a clean-up campaign in Soweto on Saturday.
Putin’s SA visit
Winde’s remarks come after Western Cape Premier Alan Winde threatened to arrest Putin should he decide to visit Cape Town.
Watch: ‘Winde wants to meet his maker’
Putin is expected to visit South Africa in August for the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit which will take place in Johannesburg.
‘Putin is welcome here’
Malema said Putin is “more than welcome in South Africa” and “no one is going to arrest him.”
He added: “Everyone who says that, is blowing hot air.”
“I don’t think the premier of the Western Cape knows what he’s talking about. If he wants to meet his maker, he must try and touch Putin.
“No one can do that. Not even Biden can say such a reckless statement when it comes to Putin,” Malema said.
ALSO READ: Western Cape ready to arrest Vladimir Putin
Putin’s arrest
Winde comments follow after South Africa was left with a diplomatic egg on its face when President Cyril Ramaphosa made a dramatic U-turn on Tuesday, on South Africa’s participation in the International Criminal Court (ICC).
In a late-night statement, the Presidency reaffirmed that SA remains a signatory to the Rome Statute of the ICC saying the governing ANC party made an error in its weekend briefing which the president erroneously repeated.
“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.
“If the South African Police Service is not instructed to act, we will,” the premier warned.
African National Congress (ANC) Secretary General Fikile Mbalula also said Winde does not have the power to stop anyone from coming to South Africa – including Putin.
ALSO READ: ‘Winde doesn’t have the power to stop anyone from coming to SA’ – Mbalula
