JOHANNESBURG - The Constitutional Court is set to deliver judgment on Friday in the Phala Phala matter, a ruling that could have far-reaching implications for President Cyril Ramaphosa’s political future.
The case was brought by the EFF and the ATM in November 2024, challenging Parliament’s decision to reject the report of the Section 89 Independent Panel.
The panel had found evidence that the President may have seriously violated provisions of the Constitution, as well as the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act.
READ | D-day looms for Ramaphosa in Phala Phala case
The EFF contended that such discretion should be limited, arguing that once a prima facie case is established, the process must automatically proceed to a full inquiry by an impeachment committee.
At the same time, in court, the ATM argued that the very rule granting Parliament such discretion is unlawful.
President Ramaphosa's legal team maintained that the National Assembly acted within its Constitutional mandate in rejecting the panel’s findings.
Whichever way the Constitutional Court rules, the judgment is expected to intensify debate around executive accountability and the limits of parliamentary discretion at the highest level of government.
