Johannesburg:

South Africa’s radical leftist opposition Social Gathering on Saturday urged the leaders of China, India and Brazil to boycott the BRICS summit subsequent month in solidarity with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, who won’t be attending.

Putin’s potential go to had posed a diplomatic and authorized dilemma for South Africa, as he’s the goal of an Worldwide Legal Court docket arrest warrant, however it was confirmed earlier this month he would not take part in individual.

At an anniversary rally for the South Africa’s third-largest social gathering, the Financial Freedom Fighters (EFF), chief Julius Malema referred to as on the remaining BRICS leaders to additionally skip the August 22-24 summit in a present of assist for Putin.

“We name on the president of the Individuals’s Republic of China, India and Brazil to not come to (the) BRICS summit in solidarity with President Putin,” Malema mentioned.

Malema additionally denounced the USA for “threatening” South Africa by demanding it flip towards the Russian chief in alternate for remaining a part of the landmark African Development and Alternative Act (AGOA), which grants duty-free entry for many exports.

“They will take away AGOA and go away us with our sovereignty,” the 42-year-old mentioned, addressing a packed stadium of over 90,000 supporters donning the social gathering color pink.

The EFF, which attracts inspiration from Marxism-Leninism, was celebrating its tenth anniversary.

The flags of the African Union and Cuba grasp from the stage.

Malema condemned the corruption of the ruling African Nationwide Congress (ANC), which has ruled the nation for the reason that creation of democracy in 1994 — promising to oust them within the subsequent election.

In March, the EFF organised a nationwide protest in a bid to power President Cyril Ramaphosa to step down over his dealing with of the nation’s sickly financial system and crippling power disaster.

Malusi Khwane, an unemployed 46-year-old father carrying an EFF jacket and beret informed AFP he was “fed up of the ANC authorities”.

“With EFF issues are going to alter. Subsequent 12 months they’ll also have a higher probability to win the election with our assist,” mentioned Khwane.

(Apart from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is printed from a syndicated feed.)