Matisonn: Ramaphosa's impeachment fight set to drag through November’s election season

ATM leader Vuyo Zungula has taken his impeachment push to the Constitutional Court after last week's high court order halted parliament's Section 89 hearings. Two judges split on how far that order actually reaches, leaving room for preparatory work to continue even as witness testimony stays frozen. A separate September review will test whether the original report finding Ramaphosa had a case to answer over $580,000 in cash stashed in a sofa at Phala Phala should stand at all. Removal remains a long shot, needing a two-thirds majority the ANC doesn't have, but the saga now runs straight through municipal election campaigning..By John Matisonn.ATM MP Vuyo Zungula has filed an appeal to the constitutional court against last week’s high court decision halting parliament’s impeachment hearings against the president, but legal commentators question whether it can be successful.In an interview with the SABC, Zungula argued that his case was strengthened because the judgement granting the interim order can be read in two ways – one stopping all proceedings, the other allowing preparations to continue while halting only witness testimony.Reading his judgement, Judge Andre le Grange said that national assembly speaker Thoko Didiza and Section 89 impeachment committee chair Makashule Gana, of Rise Mzansi, “are interdicted from proceeding with a public impeachment proceeding.”But Judge Diane Davis, who with Le Grange made up the majority, wrote: “This application is not rendered moot by virtue of the fact that the impeachment committee has already begun its preparatory work, because… the relief sought by the President is not to prevent the impeachment committee from continuing with its preparatory work, but rather to prevent the hearing of evidence.”Meanwhile, DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis has urged parliament to “continue with every preparatory step permitted by the Court’s order, so that the impeachment committee is ready to proceed without further delay once the review has been decided.”None of the court actions so far have considered the merits of the case against President Ramaphosa. Another court hearing in September must decide whether the original report recommending impeachment proceedings was fair or whether it should itself be overturned.In May, the Constitutional Court cleared the path for impeachment proceedings when it ordered Parliament to refer the report of a Section 89 panel led by former Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo to an impeachment committee. The panel found that Ramaphosa had a case to answer over the theft of US $580,000 in cash hidden in a sofa at his Phala Phala game farm. Ramaphosa subsequently launched a review of that report, which is set to be heard in early September.Independent lawyers are divided about this too – whether the appeal against the original report is strong enough to persuade the court.Whatever the outcome of each case is, the timeline ensures that the large amount of cash in the president’s sofa will remain in the news to plague the president and his party for most of the 100 days left for the current election campaign. The facts of the episode remain unclear. It is alleged that the money was paid to buy buffaloes that were never delivered. It was stored in a couch, which is suspicious and possibly illegal since it was in foreign currency. Additional questions arose when the money was stolen and the theft was not reported to the police in the normal way..Read more:.Ramaphosa stands firm as impeachment probe looms over Phala Phala scandal.If parliament does continue with the impeachment proceedings, they will take place at the height of the municipal election campaign, where the ANC is expected to lose ground in multiple towns around the country.But it still seems unlikely that the president will be removed, given that impeachment requires a two thirds majority in the National Assembly, and the ANC has around 40% of the votes.“The DA will continue to approach this matter fairly and without prejudging the outcome,” Hill-Lewis promised after the interim order was granted. .Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox every morning on weekdays. Register here.Support South Africa's bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here.If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here.

Matisonn: Ramaphosa's impeachment fight set to drag through November’s election season

Related Stories

Parliament faces protest over lagging legislation for a provincial referendum: Heindrich Wyngaard

Third force claims in the anti-immigrant protests: Conspiracy theory or calculated propaganda?

Ramaphosa's "finish and klaar" moment — and why the DA holds a nuclear option he can't afford to ignore

The Impeachment Trap: Ramaphosa Scrambles to Escape