By A Correspondent – South Africa’s opposition party, the Economic Freedom Fighters, has intensified pressure on President Cyril Ramaphosa following a major Constitutional Court ruling linked to the controversial Phala Phala scandal.

The party has formally written to parliament demanding the urgent establishment of an impeachment committee after the country’s highest court ruled that lawmakers acted unlawfully when they blocked impeachment proceedings against Ramaphosa.

In a judgment delivered on Friday, Chief Justice Mandisa Maya ruled that parliament’s decision not to refer the Phala Phala report to an impeachment committee was unconstitutional and invalid.

The court ordered that the Section 89 independent panel report must now be sent to an impeachment committee for full parliamentary scrutiny.

Reacting to the ruling, the EFF said parliament had no choice but to immediately comply with the court order.

“We write to you therefore to immediately initiate the process to constitute the Impeachment Committee to give effect to the judgment of the Constitutional Court,” the party said in its letter to parliament.

The EFF also demanded a clear timetable showing when the impeachment process would begin.

The long-running Phala Phala controversy centres on allegations that large sums of undeclared foreign currency were stolen from Ramaphosa’s farm in Limpopo in 2020.

The scandal triggered political outrage across South Africa after questions emerged over the origin of the money and how the matter was handled.

A Section 89 panel led by former Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo had previously found there was prima facie evidence suggesting Ramaphosa may have a case to answer.

However, South Africa’s parliament voted against proceeding with impeachment in 2022, effectively shielding the president at the time.
That decision was later challenged in court by the EFF and the African Transformation Movement, leading to the latest Constitutional Court ruling.

The EFF said the judgment was a victory for constitutional accountability and warned that parliament could not protect powerful politicians from scrutiny.

“The Constitutional Court has made it plain that Parliament may not use procedure to shield power from constitutional scrutiny,” the party said.

To successfully remove Ramaphosa from office, opposition parties would need a two-thirds majority vote in parliament.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance has confirmed it will participate in the impeachment process, saying no public official should be above the law.