The ANC missed Parliament’s Phala Phala deadline amid internal clashes.
The EFF has blasted as “dishonest” and “deliberate political smokescreen” claims that ANC infighting is behind delays in appointing members to the Section 89 Impeachment Committee, insisting the party is intentionally obstructing Parliament’s constitutional duty.
The red berets’ rebuke comes after the ANC failed to meet Parliament’s deadline to submit names of MPs to serve on the Phala Phala impeachment committee, exposing deep divisions within its leadership and sparking tensions across the legislature.
Clashes and delays
According to well‑placed sources in both the ANC and Parliament, the party missed Speaker Thoko Didiza’s 22 May deadline as chief whip Mdumiseni Ntuli and secretary‑general Fikile Mbalula clashed over representation, the Sunday Times reported over the weekend.
The delay now threatens to stall the highly anticipated committee’s work.
“Delays in the submission of names mean that the committee cannot be constituted and therefore cannot meet to elect a chairperson and consider a programme. Delays in such an important process are not in the public interest,” one insider warned.
‘Real issue’
EFF spokesperson Sinawo Thambo said, “The real issue is not ANC infighting.”
“The real issue is that the ANC is refusing to deploy members to the impeachment committee because it seeks to delay and frustrate the work of the committee itself,” Thambo said.
‘Defending Ramaphosa’
Thambo claimed that by withholding its nominees, the ANC is “deliberately undermining” the implementation of Section 89 and frustrating the lawful functioning of Parliament.
“The ANC knows fully well that without the formal constitution of the committee, its work cannot effectively begin. It is therefore impossible to ignore reports that Speaker Thoko Didiza recently met with ANC leaders and legal representatives who previously defended Cyril Ramaphosa in the Constitutional Court on the Phala Phala matter,” he said.
“Any reasonable observer would conclude that the current delays are part of a broader political strategy to shield Ramaphosa from accountability and to weaken the impeachment process before it even begins
“The ANC is once again proving that it will manipulate Parliament, abuse procedure, and manufacture confusion whenever accountability threatens those in power,” Thambo claimed.
Missed deadline
The ANC holds nine seats on the 31‑member committee, but is the only party to have missed the deadline.
The DA, MK party and EFF have already submitted their nominees. Ntuli is said to favour experienced MPs from previous ad hoc committees, while Mbalula prefers figures such as Doris Mpapane, Donald Selamolela, and Boyce Maneli.
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