As the 31-member impeachment committee prepares to begin deliberating on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s fate in connection with the Phala Phala farm saga, the Western Cape High Court is reportedly also gearing up to hear his bid.
According to reports, the Western Cape High Court will hear Ramaphosa’s bid to overturn the Section 89 independent panel’s report on the Phala Phala matter from 2 to 4 September.
ConCourt sends Section 89 panel’s report back to parliament
In November 2022, the panel released a report in which it concluded that there was prima facie evidence that Ramaphosa should answer questions about the alleged theft of approximately $580 000 (about R9.6 million) from his Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo in February 2020.
However, in December 2022, the National Assembly voted against referring the report to an impeachment committee.
As a result, the EFF and the African Transformation Movement turned to the apex court to challenge parliament’s decision and the matter was heard in November 2024.
On 8 May, more than 500 days after the matter was heard, the Constitutional Court sent the Section 89 panel’s report back to parliament, paving the way for an impeachment process against Ramaphosa to proceed.
The impeachment committee, chaired by Rise Mzansi’s Makashule Gana, is expected to meet on Thursday to review the National Assembly’s rules.
