ANC promises fair Phala Phala impeachment process

By Palesa Matlala

• ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula says the party will follow the Constitutional Court ruling and not use the impeachment process to protect President Cyril Ramaphosa.

• Thirty-one MPs will meet on Monday to elect a chairperson and begin a new inquiry after the Constitutional Court ruled Parliament acted unlawfully in 2022.

The African National Congress says it will follow the Constitution when Parliament begins a fresh impeachment process against President Cyril Ramaphosa over the Phala Phala scandal.

ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula rejected claims that the ruling party wants to control the process by ensuring that one of its MPs chairs the committee.

He was responding to criticism from Build One South Africa leader Mmusi Maimane, who warned that public confidence in the inquiry could be damaged if an ANC member is elected to lead it.

Mbalula said the ANC would not use its majority to shield Ramaphosa.

“We are not going into the impeachment process to defend the report,” said Mbalula.

“We are going into the process guided by the ruling of the Constitutional Court.”

His comments come as Parliament’s Section 89 Impeachment Committee prepares for its first meeting on Monday.

The 31-member committee will elect a chairperson, adopt a programme of action and decide how it will handle evidence during the inquiry.

The committee was established after a major Constitutional Court ruling last month.

The country’s highest court found that Parliament acted unlawfully when it rejected the findings of the Independent Panel that investigated the Phala Phala scandal in 2022.

The court also criticised the National Assembly for blocking meaningful scrutiny of impeachment motions and failing to properly exercise its oversight role.

The ruling forced Parliament to restart the process and establish a new committee to consider whether Ramaphosa has a case to answer.

At the centre of the scandal is the theft of a large amount of foreign currency from Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo in 2020.

The Independent Panel found there was prima facie evidence that Ramaphosa may have committed serious violations of the Constitution and the law.

However, Ramaphosa has strongly denied wrongdoing.

The president is currently challenging the Independent Panel’s report in the Western Cape High Court.

He argues that the panel relied on hearsay evidence, ignored key legal principles and reached flawed conclusions.

The outcome of that court challenge could have a significant impact on the political future of the Phala Phala matter.

Meanwhile, MPs serving on the impeachment committee say Parliament must carry out its constitutional duty without fear or favour.

The committee is expected to set timelines for hearings, determine how evidence will be presented and decide whether witnesses will be called.

Parliament has insisted it respects the rule of law and will carry out the inquiry according to constitutional requirements.

With political pressure mounting and public attention fixed on the process, Monday’s meeting is expected to set the tone for one of the most closely watched parliamentary investigations in recent years.

Pictured above: ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula.

Image source: ANC