Phala Phala: Constitutional Court to rule on Ramaphosa impeachment report within a month

The Constitutional Court says a judgment on whether Parliament erred in its handling of the Phala Phala matter involving President Cyril Ramaphosa is imminent.

In a letter to the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), the court says the judgment can be expected within a month.

EFF leader Julius Malema wrote to the Chief Justice Mandisa Maya last month to complain about the length of time it’s taking the country’s highest court to produce a judgment in the matter.

The case was sparked by a decision of the National Assembly in December 2022 to reject an independent panel report, which suggested there are grounds for Ramaphosa to face an impeachment inquiry.

While President Cyril Ramaphosa was cleared by the Public Protector on an ethics complaint - and the Reserve Bank on exchange control violations - related to the storage and theft of more than U$500 000 from his Limpopo farm, the EFF took the matter to the country’s highest court in 2024.

The party argued that a decision by the National Assembly to reject a Section 89 report compiled by three jurists led by former Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo, by 214 votes to 148, was irrational.

It would have been the first step in initiating an impeachment inquiry against a head of state.

In his letter to the court, EFF leader Julius Malema argued that the time taken for the court to hand down its decision is creating a perception that the court is not immune to political pressures.

Referencing judicial norms, Malema said that two years since first approaching the court, it had now far exceeded the three months it should take for the court to deliver judgments.

Now the court has indicated that the EFF need not wait much longer and that it will receive this court’s decision by next month.