President Cyril Ramaphosa has vowed not to resign despite mounting political pressure following last week’s landmark Constitutional Court judgment on the Phala Phala scandal, saying he will instead challenge the Section 89 independent panel report through a judicial review process. In a nationally televised address from the Union Buildings on Monday evening, Ramaphosa defended his decision to remain in office and insisted the Constitutional Court had made no finding that he committed misconduct or violated the Constitution. “I therefore respectfully…

The National Assembly is moving to re-establish the impeachment inquiry process into President Cyril Ramaphosa following last week’s landmark Constitutional Court ruling on the handling of the Phala Phala matter. In a statement issued on Monday, Parliament confirmed that Speaker Thoko Didiza has determined the process the National Assembly will follow after the Constitutional Court declared Rule 129I unconstitutional and invalid. The judgment, delivered on Friday in the matter brought by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and another applicant, ATM,…

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 African Transformation Movement (ATM) has formally tabled a motion of no confidence against President Cyril Ramaphosa following Friday’s landmark Constitutional Court ruling on Parliament’s handling of the Phala Phala matter. The motion, submitted by ATM parliamentary leader Vuyo Zungula to National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza, argues that the apex court judgment confirmed Parliament had failed in its constitutional oversight duties when it dismissed attempts to hold the President accountable over the scandal. The Speaker’s office had not responded to…

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 Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) has reaffirmed its findings into the conduct of senior police officials linked to the 2020 Phala Phala farm burglary, saying its investigation was conducted impartially and strictly within its legal mandate to examine police conduct. On Friday, IPID said its report had recently attracted renewed public attention and had been surrounded by what it described as misinformation, prompting the directorate to clarify the scope and outcomes of its investigation. IPID spokesperson Phaladi Shuping said…

ActionSA has formally approached the Public Protector, calling for the reopening of the Phala Phala investigation following new revelations contained in the recently unsealed report by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID). On Thursday, ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont said the initial investigation was too narrow and failed to fully interrogate the potential involvement of officials within the Presidency in what the party describes as a possible cover up of the 2020 robbery at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Limpopo farm. The…

A political storm is brewing after ActionSA revealed it has finally obtained a long-withheld report by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) into the controversial Phala Phala scandal, and claims damning findings against members of the Presidential Protection Unit (PPU) were ignored for nearly two years. In a statement released on Friday, ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont said the party had spent over a year fighting to access the report, which was completed in October 2023 but allegedly kept out…

The Constitutional Court of South Africa has confirmed it will release its long-awaited judgment in the politically charged Phala Phala matter within weeks, bringing renewed focus to one of South Africa’s most contentious legal and political sagas. The confirmation on Wednesday follows sustained pressure from the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), which earlier on the day staged a picket outside Constitution Hill, where the apex court sits. The party has been demanding the immediate release of the judgment, arguing that the…