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South Africa’s Top Court Reopens Path to Ramaphosa Impeachment

The decision forces Parliament to revisit a shelved probe in a chamber without an ANC majority.

Overview

  • The Constitutional Court, in a ruling on Friday, set aside Parliament’s 2022 rejection of the Phala Phala report as irrational and unconstitutional and ordered lawmakers to reconsider the matter.
  • The court also found part of Parliament’s impeachment rules unconstitutional because it gave MPs too much discretion over whether to act.
  • The National Assembly must now decide whether to open a full impeachment process, drawing on an earlier independent panel that said there were signs of misconduct.
  • The presidency said Ramaphosa will respect the judgment, and the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters brought the case that led to the ruling.
  • The case centers on cash stolen from Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm in 2020, which he says came from a buffalo sale, while critics dispute his account and question whether the foreign currency was properly declared.