Ramaphosa impeachment committee votes to appeal interdict

The parliamentary committee investigating President Cyril Ramaphosa for possible impeachment has voted to appeal a court order that halted its public hearings, escalating a legal battle over the legislature's power to hold the president accountable. The decision was made during a virtual meeting on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, and will see the committee take its appeal directly to the Constitutional Court.

The Section 89 Impeachment Committee is probing allegations related to the theft of approximately $580,000 from Ramaphosa's Phala Phala game farm in February 2020. Last week, the Western Cape High Court granted the president an interim interdict, pausing the committee's planned public hearings. Ramaphosa had sought the order, arguing that allowing the hearings to proceed before a judicial review of an independent panel's report would cause him irreparable harm. That review is scheduled to be heard from September 2 to 4.

Committee chairperson Makashule Gana confirmed the appeal, stating the legal team would prepare the necessary papers for the Constitutional Court, as the High Court did not grant leave to appeal. The vote to proceed was narrowly approved by a margin of two votes...