President Cyril Ramaphosa has officially filed papers in the Western Cape High Court seeking a judicial review of the Section 89 independent panel report linked to the Phala Phala scandal, intensifying the legal and political battle surrounding the matter.
According to court papers, Ramaphosa is asking the court to review and set aside the independent panel’s report, which found there may have been a prima facie case that he violated the Constitution and committed misconduct in relation to the 2020 theft at his Phala Phala farm.
Importantly, the President is reportedly not seeking an interim interdict to stop Parliament’s impeachment process from continuing while the matter is before court. This means the Section 89 impeachment process could still proceed in Parliament as the legal review unfolds.
The move comes weeks after the Constitutional Court ruled that Parliament acted unlawfully when it voted in 2022 against proceeding with an impeachment inquiry into the President over the Phala Phala matter. The ruling effectively revived the impeachment process and cleared the way for Parliament to establish a committee to investigate the allegations further.
Political parties and analysts remain divided over Ramaphosa’s latest legal challenge. While ANC leaders have backed the President’s right to seek a review, opposition parties argue that the impeachment process should continue without delay
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