The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has accused President Cyril Ramaphosa of attempting to use the courts to avoid accountability over the Phala Phala scandal, following reports that he is considering reviving a legal challenge against the Section 89 Independent Panel report. In a strongly worded statement issued on Monday, the EFF said Ramaphosa’s reported intention to seek a judicial review of the report comes after the Constitutional Court ruled that Parliament acted unlawfully and unconstitutionally when it blocked an impeachment…

The Presidency and Parliament have both pledged to study and respect Friday’s landmark Constitutional Court judgment that revived the Section 89 impeachment process linked to President Cyril Ramaphosa and the Phala Phala scandal. In separate statements issued hours after the ruling, the Presidency and Parliament struck a cautious tone, emphasising respect for the judiciary and constitutional processes following the court’s decision in favour of the Economic Freedom Fighters. The Constitutional Court ruled that the National Assembly acted inconsistently with the…

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has formally written to Parliament demanding the immediate establishment of an impeachment committee against President Cyril Ramaphosa following Friday’s landmark Constitutional Court ruling on the Phala Phala scandal. In a letter addressed to the Speaker of the National Assembly, EFF National Chairperson and Parliamentary Chief Whip Nontando Nolutshungu called on Parliament to urgently implement the apex court’s judgment, which declared Parliament’s 2022 decision to block the impeachment process unconstitutional and invalid. “We write to you…

The Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF) is set to appear before the Constitutional Court of South Africa on Wednesday, challenging the constitutionality of the parliamentary process that led to the adoption of the National Health Insurance (NHI) Act in 2023. In its application, the BHF argues that Parliament failed to meet its constitutional obligation to facilitate meaningful public participation before passing the legislation, and is seeking to have the Act declared invalid and set aside. The organisation stressed that its…

A South African social media commentator, researcher, and geopolitics analyst, popularly known as [Evaluator @_AfricanSoil], has formally escalated allegations of serious human rights violations against the South African Office of the Presidency, multiple state institutions, and media houses. The matter has been reported to both domestic and international authorities in pursuit of justice. African Times has seen the letter. According to a detailed complaint submitted to oversight bodies, the geopolitics commentator alleges they were subjected to unlawful targeting, surveillance, and…

KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi returned to Parliament on Wednesday for a dramatic re-examination before the Ad Hoc Committee, delivering fresh allegations, clarifications and politically charged claims as the inquiry nears its conclusion. Mkhwanazi, the Committee’s final witness, took the oath and faced questioning in what is expected to be one of the most consequential sessions before the committee wraps up its work at the end of March. Political parties are expected to submit their closing remarks later on…

The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) has distanced itself from Dr Mary de Haas following public questions about her relationship with the institution after her appearance before Parliament’s ad hoc committee this week. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the university said De Haas is not an employee and does not hold a professorship at UKZN. According to the university, De Haas retired from the former University of Natal in 2002, where she worked as a senior lecturer and programme director…

Parliament has confirmed that the Ad Hoc Committee established to investigate allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal police provincial commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi will begin its hearings on Tuesday, with Mkhwanazi himself set to take the stand as the committee’s first witness. The hearings are expected to attract national attention, as Mkhwanazi prepares to expand on a series of explosive claims he made earlier this year about alleged criminal infiltration within South Africa’s justice system, including the police service, prosecution authorities, and…

Parliament’s Joint Committee on Ethics and Members’ Interests has ruled that it will not investigate Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie over decade-old tweets containing the K-word – but political and public pressure for his removal continues to mount. In a decision announced on Tuesday, the committee concluded that the remarks, which resurfaced earlier this month, predated McKenzie’s swearing-in as a Member of Parliament on 14 June 2024 and therefore fell outside its jurisdiction. “The Code of Ethical Conduct…

Opposition party ActionSA has raised red flags over the appointment of ANC MP Hon. Soviet Lekganyane as chairperson of Parliament’s newly established Ad Hoc Committee tasked with probing explosive allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. In a pointed statement issued on Tuesday, ActionSA MP Dereleen James said the credibility of the committee could be undermined from the outset due to potential conflicts of interest linked to the ruling party. “It would have been more appropriate for…