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South Africa’s Constitutional Court has overturned a parliamentary decision that blocked impeachment proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa over the controversial Phala Phala cash-heist scandal, reopening political and legal scrutiny around one of the country’s most contentious cases in recent years.
Delivering judgment on Friday, Chief Justice Mandisa Maya ruled that the National Assembly acted inconsistently with the Constitution when it voted in December 2022 to halt impeachment proceedings linked to the scandal.
“It is declared that the vote of the National Assembly taken on 13 December 2022 is inconsistent with the Constitution, invalid, and it is set aside,” Maya said while reading the court’s decision.
The ruling marks a significant setback for Ramaphosa, who has repeatedly faced pressure from opposition parties and critics demanding accountability for allegations of the theft of large sums of foreign currency hidden at his Phala Phala game farm in 2020.
The scandal first gained national attention after claims emerged that money hidden at the property had been stolen and that state resources may have been improperly used to track down suspects linked to the theft.
Ramaphosa has denied wrongdoing and maintained that the money came from the lawful sale of buffalo.
In 2022, a parliamentary panel found there could be grounds for impeachment proceedings, but lawmakers later voted against adopting the report, effectively stopping the process.
Friday’s Constitutional Court judgment now invalidates that parliamentary vote and places the matter back in focus.
The decision is expected to intensify political debate in South Africa ahead of future parliamentary processes, with opposition groups likely to renew calls for accountability while Ramaphosa’s allies defend his handling of the matter.
The Constitutional Court’s ruling also reinforces the judiciary’s role in scrutinising parliamentary decisions and ensuring constitutional compliance in South Africa’s democratic system.
