The Western Cape High Court is hearing President Cyril Ramaphosa’s application to set aside the Section 89 independent panel report on the Phala Phala matter.
The panel was appointed by Parliament in 2022 to assess whether there was prima facie evidence that Ramaphosa may have committed a serious violation of the Constitution or the law following the theft of foreign currency from his Limpopo game farm.
Its report said there was evidence on which Parliament could consider whether the president had a case to answer. Those were the panel’s findings at a preliminary stage, not a criminal conviction or a final finding of misconduct.
The National Assembly voted in December 2022 not to adopt the report. The Constitutional Court later set that vote aside and directed Parliament to establish an impeachment committee.
In July, the Western Cape High Court temporarily halted that committee’s work pending the outcome of Ramaphosa’s review application.
Ramaphosa’s lawyer, Advocate Wim Trengove, argued on Wednesday that the panel did not properly assess the quality of the evidence. Advocate Anton Katz, representing the African Transformation Movement, told the court the application should be dismissed. The arguments are submissions by opposing parties and have not been determined by the court.
Ramaphosa has consistently denied wrongdoing. The High Court’s ruling will determine the status of the panel report and may affect Parliament’s next steps in the impeachment process.
