Ramaphosa Secures Court Ruling Against Impeachment

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has secured a court ruling to temporarily stop Parliament’s impeachment inquiry into the Phala Phala farm saga.

The Western Cape Division of the High Court granted Ramaphosa an interdict on Friday, preventing Parliament’s Section 89 impeachment committee from proceeding with public hearings until his legal challenge is determined. Judge Andre le Grange said the court considered arguments from all parties due to the urgency of the matter.

“The second judgment is the majority judgment. In the result, the following order is held, the first and second respondents are interdicted from proceeding with a public impeachment proceeding,” Le Grange said.

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Ramaphosa had approached the court to halt the inquiry while he challenges the report of the Section 89 panel, led by former Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo.

The panel had found that Ramaphosa had a case to answer over the theft of $580,000 in cash hidden in a sofa at his Phala Phala game farm.

The Constitutional Court had earlier cleared the way for Parliament to begin impeachment proceedings after ordering lawmakers to refer the panel’s report to an impeachment committee.

Western Cape Division of the High Court. Credit: IOL.

Ramaphosa’s legal challenge against the report is expected to be heard in early September.

Several political parties, including the African Transformation Movement (ATM), Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) and United African Transformation (UAT), opposed his request for the court order. The parties argued that stopping the inquiry would interfere with Parliament’s constitutional powers and delay accountability.

Ramaphosa’s lawyer, Advocate Wim Trengove, argued that allowing the inquiry to proceed based on what he described as a flawed report could cause serious reputational damage to the president.

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Meanwhile, the chairperson of the impeachment committee, Makashule Gana, said the committee would review the full judgment before deciding its next steps.

“We now await the full judgment which we will study and be able to give further updates in terms of the work that the committee still has to do, because what I heard, it’s only the public hearings that have been interdicted,” Gana said.

The Presidency said Ramaphosa respects the court’s decision and remains committed to constitutional processes.

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