South Africa Court Halts Ramaphosa Impeachment Process
CAPE TOWN-A South African court on Friday temporarily halted parliamentary impeachment proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa, pending a judicial review of an independent panel report that found he may have committed serious constitutional violations over the so-called Phala Phala scandal.
The Western Cape High Court granted Ramaphosa’s application to suspend the work of a parliamentary impeachment committee until it rules on his challenge to the panel’s November 2022 findings. The decision delays what could become the country’s first impeachment proceedings against a sitting president.
Judge Andre le Grange ruled that the parliamentary process could not continue while the court considered Ramaphosa’s application to review the report.
“Pending the determination by this court of the applicant’s review… respondents are interdicted from proceeding with a public impeachment hearing,” the judge said.
The case stems from the theft of foreign currency from Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo province in 2020. The president has been accused of failing to properly disclose the incident to police and tax authorities after approximately $580,000 stored in a sofa at the property was stolen.
Ramaphosa has consistently denied any wrongdoing, saying he reported the burglary to police and that the money came from the legitimate sale of 20 buffaloes. He has repeatedly rejected calls to resign since the allegations became public.
The complaint was filed by a former head of South Africa’s intelligence services and former ally of ex-President Jacob Zuma, who alleged that Ramaphosa concealed a robbery involving $4 million from law enforcement and tax authorities.
Following Friday’s ruling, Ramaphosa said he remained committed to South Africa’s constitutional framework and accountability processes.
In a statement, the presidency said Ramaphosa “reaffirms his respect of judicial independence and separation of powers enshrined in our Constitution” and would continue to cooperate with all accountability mechanisms.
The court is scheduled to hear Ramaphosa’s application in September seeking to overturn the independent panel’s 2022 report, which concluded that he may have a case to answer.
After the panel issued its findings, South Africa’s National Assembly voted against initiating impeachment proceedings, with Ramaphosa’s governing African National Congress using its parliamentary majority to defeat the motion.
Public prosecutors dropped related charges in 2024. However, South Africa’s Constitutional Court overturned Parliament’s earlier decision in May this year, paving the way for the establishment of a parliamentary committee to consider impeachment proceedings.
Friday’s ruling means that committee’s work will remain on hold until the court decides whether the panel’s report should stand.
