13-15 June 2015: Mr. Omar Al-Bashir, the President of Sudan at the time, travelled to South Africa for the purpose of attending a summit of the African Union. Despite the ICC’s request for the arrest of Omar Al-Bashir and his surrender to the Court, South Africa did not arrest and surrender him while he was on its territory.

04 September 2015: The ICC Chamber decided that the events warranted the opening of proceedings on South Africa’s failure to arrest and surrender Mr. Omar Al-Bashir and requested the competent authorities of South Africa to submit their views on the events.

December 2015 - May 2016: South Africa submitted three reports concerning the progress of the ongoing domestic judicial proceedings before its national courts on the matter.

19 October 2016: The Government of South Africa submitted its notice of withdrawal from the ICC Rome Statute to the UN Secretary General.

21 October 2016: In reaction to the decision of the Government of South Africa to withdraw from the Rome Statute, PGA Members signed a letter calling on all South African Members of Parliaments to stand against impunity and take actions against the withdrawal.

16 November 2016: At the 15^th session of the of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the ICC (ASP), the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services of South Africa reaffirmed the country’s decision to withdraw from the Rome Statute of the ICC.

31 January 2017: Adoption of the ICC Withdrawal Strategy by the African Union.

22 February 2017: PGA South African Members played a leading role in a petition deposited by the official opposition before the High Court of Gauteng (Pretoria) on challenging the illegality of the withdrawal process under the South African legal system. On 22 February 2017, the High Court ruled that the executive order to withdraw unconstitutional, hence null and void. This was based on the absence of the required authorization of this decision by the South African Parliament that had enacted a law authorizing ratification in the year 2000. The High Court ordered President Jacob Zuma to revoke the October 2016 withdrawal notice from the Rome Statute deposited to the United Nations.

07 March 2017: PGA made a formal submission to the South African Parliament detailing the possible negative implications of the Repeal Bill of the 2002 ICC Act, which, if approved, would have made withdrawal constitutionally feasible.

07 March 2017: The Government of South Africa submitted a notification to the Secretary General of the UN, reversing the Instrument of Withdrawal from the Rome Statute.

07 April 2017: A public hearing with representatives of South Africa and of the Office of the ICC Prosecutor took place before the ICC Chamber.

06 July 2017: The ICC issued a judgment finding that South Africa failed to comply with the obligations under the Rome Statute by not executing the Court’s request for the arrest of Omar Al-Bashir and his surrender to the ICC while he was on South African territory between 13 and 15 June 2015. It decided that a referral to the Assembly of States Parties or the Security Council of the matter of South Africa’s non-compliance with the Court’s request is not appropriate.

06 December 2017: During the 16^th session of the ASP, the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services reaffirmed the statement read out at the 15th Session of the ASP, in which it announced its intention to withdraw from the Rome Statute. The Minister also announced the introduction of the International Crimes Bill. The purpose of the Bill is to set the withdrawal of South Africa from the ICC into motion by (i) repealing the 2002 Implementation of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Act which had incorporated the Rome Statute into South African law and (ii) providing for an alternative domestic system to try the international crimes.

08 December 2017: The administration of Jacob Zuma tabled the International Crimes Bill.

20 December 2017: ANC adopted a decision to withdraw from the Rome Statute of the ICC at its 54th National Conference.

15 February 2018 & 22 May 2019: Following the resignation of the president Jacob Zuma, an indirect presidential election was held in the National Assembly in South Africa. Acting president Cyril Ramaphosa of the ruling African National Congress won the election unopposed due to no other party nominating a candidate. He was re-elected in the presidential election on 22 May 2018.

05 December 2018: In the statement at the 17^th session of the ASP, the South African Ambassador to the Netherlands welcomed the great importance the ASP attaches to intensifying the dialogue with the African Union and commended the continued engagement between the ICC and the African Union “to counter perceptions of bias that the Court is unfairly targeting Africa.”

08 May 2019: General elections were held in South Africa to elect a new National Assembly and provincial legislatures in each province, with the ANC party winning a majority.

06 November 2019: After the revival of the International Crimes Bill by the South African Justice Minister Ronald Lamola, the Bill was submitted to the consideration of the Committee on Justice and Correctional Services.

02 December 2019: In the statement at the 18^th session of the ASP, the Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development of South Africa, expressed its support for “an independent and objective instrument to bring to an end the heinous crimes against humanity”. He suggested the ICC should address perceptions of the politicisation of the ICC by the UN Security Council referrals and welcomed the initiatives to improve the ICC’s performance. Nevertheless, he referred to the continuing “deliberations on the issue of withdrawal from the Rome Statute as the matter is still to be considered by the Parliament”.