South Africa’s Parliament Speaker, Thokozile Didiza, has decided not to oppose President Cyril Ramaphosa’s urgent request to pause the impeachment proceedings, as confirmed by Parliament on Sunday. Ramaphosa had filed an urgent application on June 12 to halt the Impeachment Committee’s activities while contesting the findings of an independent panel report related to the Phala Phala matter. Didiza, in a notice filed on Friday, stated her intention to comply with the Western Cape High Court’s decision, indicating that Parliament will not challenge the application.
The President had previously initiated a separate legal challenge on May 26, seeking a review by the Western Cape High Court to overturn the panel’s conclusions. The Parliament, in a statement, mentioned that Didiza’s decision to abide by the court’s ruling will be accompanied by an explanatory affidavit to support the legal process. The Parliament emphasized that the Speaker’s stance aligns with the respective roles and duties of the Assembly and the Impeachment Committee.
Following the recent developments, the Impeachment Committee had expressed its intention to oppose Ramaphosa’s urgent court plea and had urged Didiza to join in resisting the President’s request. The impeachment proceedings were reignited after South Africa’s Constitutional Court ruled that the Parliament had acted unlawfully in dismissing the panel’s report in 2022. The Phala Phala case revolves around the alleged theft of approximately $580,000 from Ramaphosa’s private game farm in Limpopo Province in 2020.
An independent panel, led by former Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo, had identified prima facie evidence in a 2022 report, suggesting potential serious misconduct by Ramaphosa in connection with the incident. However, the National Assembly had voted against adopting the report and pursuing impeachment proceedings.
