JOHANNESBURG - Four years ago, in October 2022, when political analyst Vusi Gumbi spoke to eNCA, he made it blatantly clear that if President Cyril Ramaphosa ever steps down, it will most likely be because of the Phala Phala Farm saga.
Fast forward to 8 May 2026, and Gumbi still swears by his words.
“My view at the time was that this would come back to haunt him. And four years later, with the damning judgment from the Constitutional Court, I can say that the interview back then has been vindicated.”
On Friday, the Constitutional Court ruled that Parliament’s Phala Phala vote was invalid and unconstitutional.
In the same judgment, the court ordered that Parliament must amend Rule 129(i) of the National Assembly’s rules and refer the matter to an impeachment committee.
The ConCourt found that the current structure of Rule 129(i) defeats the purpose of section 89 of the Constitution to hold the President accountable.
READ | ConCourt sets aside National Assembly vote on Phala Phala
Gumbi said he does not see reasons why Ramaphosa would not resign.
“I don't think there's any reason why he would want to stay now, especially considering that it's an election year. He's basically giving ammunition to opposition parties."
Also weighing in on the matter was legal analyst Benedict Phiri, who said the judgment fundamentally changes the impeachment process.
“What the court basically found today was that once the independent panel had made its finding that there was a prima facie violation of the Constitution, it wasn't up to Parliament to actually create a process which would then essentially allow the President to escape accountability,” he said.
A call for accountability
The takeaway for many political parties, as they hailed the judgment, was the need for Ramaphosa to account.
Among those was EFF leader Julius Malema, who called for Ramaphosa to resign.
On the other hand, ActionSA’s National Chairperson, Michael Beaumont, appealed to parties in the Government of National Unity to find their principles.
DA’s maintained that accountability, constitutionalism, and the rule of law must always prevail. ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri said the party was committed to the rule of law.
In December 2022, a majority of Members of Parliament, 214, voted against adopting the report and resolved not to proceed with the process.
The vote followed a report by a Section 89 independent panel, led by retired Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo, which found that President Cyril Ramaphosa may have violated Section 96(2)(a) of the Constitution and Section 34(1) of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act (PRECCA) in relation to a robbery at his Phala Phala Game Farm in 2020.
While Ramaphosa argued that the application had been brought too late, the Apex Court found there was a basis to overlook the delay.
Ramaphosa braves the storm.
Ramaphosa has taken the blow and reacted by saying nobody is above the law, and that any allegations should be subjected to due process without favour and prejudice.