South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has secured a court order temporarily halting parliamentary impeachment proceedings linked to the controversial Phala Phala cash scandal.
The Western Cape High Court ruled on Friday in favour of Ramaphosa’s application to suspend the work of a parliamentary impeachment committee until the court determines his challenge to a November 2022 independent panel report.
Judge Andre le Grange ordered that, pending the outcome of the review application, Parliament must not proceed with a public impeachment hearing.
The panel had concluded that Ramaphosa “may have committed” serious constitutional violations and misconduct over the handling of a large sum of foreign currency allegedly stolen from his Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo Province.
Ramaphosa has consistently denied any wrongdoing and has rejected calls to resign since details of the scandal emerged. He maintains that he reported the 2020 burglary to police and that the $580,000 found at the ranch came from the legitimate sale of 20 buffaloes.
The complaint was lodged by a former South African intelligence chief and ally of former President Jacob Zuma, who alleged that Ramaphosa concealed a robbery involving $4 million from police and tax authorities.
Following Friday’s ruling, Ramaphosa said he remained committed to accountability and respected the independence of the judiciary.
In a statement, the president said he “reaffirms his respect of judicial independence and separation of powers enshrined in our Constitution” and would continue to cooperate with all lawful accountability processes.
The Constitutional Court overturned Parliament’s earlier decision to block impeachment proceedings in May, prompting lawmakers to establish a parliamentary impeachment committee. If the process eventually proceeds, it would mark the first impeachment proceedings against a sitting South African president.
The court is expected to hear Ramaphosa’s application to overturn the 2022 panel report in September.
