President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that he has no intention of resigning from office and intends to challenge the report with findings against him.
The message followed a critical ruling by the Constitutional Court on Friday (8 May), where it ruled that the National Assembly acted unlawfully when it voted in December 2022 to dismiss the Section 89 Independent Panel report regarding President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala scandal.
In a short-notice address to the nation on Monday (11 May 2026), the president said that he has been facing calls to resign from his position over the ruling.
However, he said that he has also been encouraged not to resign.
Given the circumstances, he said he wanted to be clear that there is nothing in the Constitutional Court ruling that compels him to resign.
“I want to make it clear that I am not resigning,” he said.
“To resign now would be to give in to those who would reverse our rebuilding of society. I fully intend to continue serving the people of South Africa.”
Ramaphosa said that he is mindful of the need for certainty and stability, especially during trying times such as those being experienced at the moment.
He maintained that he has stolen no public money, committed no crimes, and has cooperated with all investigations.
The president added that he has always maintained his innocence in the matter and that he disagrees with the panel’s findings.
While the president had moved to challenge the report and take it on review, that action was stopped when parliament voted to set it aside.
Now that the Constitutional Court has revived the report and brought it back into play, the president’s legal team has advised him to relaunch the process to have the report reviewed.
Ramaphosa said he wasn’t doing it as an act of defiance, but rather out of respect for the law and to ensure that any report with such consequences is lawful.
Big axe over Ramaphosa’s head
The ConCourt judgment represents one of the most significant rulings against a sitting president in South Africa’s democratic history.
The court directed Parliament to properly address the Section 89 panel report, thereby reopening the possibility of a comprehensive impeachment inquiry into the President.
The Phala Phala scandal erupted in 2022, when the country’s former spy chief laid charges against Ramaphosa, alleging that he tried to cover up the theft of at least $4 million from Phala Phala two years earlier.
Phala Phala is Ramaphosa’s game farm in the northern Limpopo province.
It later emerged that about $580,000 was stolen, which the president said were proceeds from the sale of buffalo.
He denied wrongdoing and was never charged with a crime, but an independent panel found evidence that he may have committed misconduct.
The December 2022 vote in parliament blocked the panel’s report from being referred to an impeachment committee.
Following the ConCourt judgement, opposition parties, Ramaphosa’s political opponents, and his biggest critics called for his resignation.
However, his supporters were quick to point out that the ConCourt ruling made no findings on the merits of the saga, nor did it make any adverse findings against Ramaphosa himself.
For his part, the president said that he respects the judgment and reaffirmed his commitment to the Constitution, the independence of the Judiciary, and the rule of law.
He added that no person is above the law and that any allegations should be subjected to due process without fear, favour or prejudice.
