Opposition parties and lobby groups have slated the government for allowing Sudanese president Omar Al Bashir to leave the country.
His reported departure on Monday came in spite of a high court order preventing him from doing so, until a final decision was made on his arrest.
Moments after Gauteng judge president Dunstan Mlambo ordered Al Bashir's arrest in terms of a warrant from the International Criminal Court, he was informed that Al Bashir had left the country.
State legal counsel also told the court that the Department of State Security will now be investigating how President Al Bashir was allowed to leave.
In a hard-hitting statement, DA MP, Stevens Mokgalapa, said that the Minister of Home Affairs, Malusi Gigaba and the government itself, are in contempt of court.
He said there must be consequences for such a serious disregard for the law.
Civil rights organisation AfriForum said if the reports are true it will mean that the Zuma regime has seriously damaged the supremacy of the law in South Africa.
Kallie Kriel, CEO of AfriForum, says the Zuma regime and its blatant disregarding of a court order places it in the same circle as other underminers of the supremacy of the law, such as the Mugabe regime.
But, the African Union slammed the ICC saying it was only targetting African states and was a European Court for Africa.
Vincent Nmehielle, Director for legal affairs for the African Union Commission said President Bashir was not here as a tourist. He said as a guest South Africa was obliged to provide him diplomatic passage.
He said it is common practice all over the world to provide this "kind of immunity."
