Gana confirms receipt of court bid to halt Ramaphosa Impeachment Inquiry
Section 89 Impeachment Committee chairperson Makashule Gana says Parliament is considering its next steps after receiving urgent court papers from President Cyril Ramaphosa aimed at stopping the impeachment process linked to the Phala Phala scandal.
Gana confirmed with a post on X, that the president’s legal team has approached the Western Cape High Court to interdict the committee from proceeding, pending the outcome of a separate review application challenging the Section 89 panel’s report.
The report found prima facie evidence that Ramaphosa may have violated the Constitution in relation to the 2020 theft of foreign currency at his Phala Phala farm in Limpopo.
Gana says Parliament’s legal team is now studying the application, with the matter expected to come before the committee at its next meeting on June 24.
Ramaphosa argues that allowing the inquiry to proceed before the court rules on the validity of the report could undermine his bid to review the report.
He cited National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza and Gana as respondents, along with opposition parties including the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the African Transformation Movement (ATM), as well as its leader, Vuyo Zungula.
Despite the legal challenge, Gana previously indicated that the committee would continue its preparatory work following a Constitutional Court ruling that Parliament’s earlier decision to halt investigations into the Phala Phala matter was invalid.
The court’s decision on the urgent application is expected to determine whether the impeachment inquiry can proceed or be temporarily halted.
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