SA Const Court to Rule on Ramaphosa Impeachment Challenge

South Africa's Constitutional Court is scheduled to deliver its judgment on Friday at 10 a.m. on a challenge by the Economic Freedom Fighters and African Transformation Movement against Parliament's 2022 decision to reject a Section 89 panel report recommending an impeachment inquiry into President Cyril Ramaphosa over the Phala Phala farm theft.

The case stems from a February 2020 burglary at Ramaphosa's game farm in Limpopo province, where thieves stole approximately $580,000 in foreign currency hidden in a sofa. A panel led by former Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo found in December 2022 a prima facie case that Ramaphosa may have violated his oath of office in connection with the incident. Parliament's National Assembly voted against adopting the report, blocking further investigation.

The EFF and ATM argue that Parliament had no discretion once the panel identified prima facie evidence and was constitutionally required to establish an impeachment committee. They cite the court's 2017 Nkandla judgment, which outlined Parliament's duty to hold the executive accountable and mandated rules for Section 89 processes, as precedent. Parliament developed those rules within 90 days, but...