SA: Constitutional court hears PhalaPhala case, EFF hopes for an impeachment vote

Supporters of South African EFF party watched Tuesday (Nov. 26) court proceedings on a big screen outside the Constitutional Court in Johannesburg.

Two opposition parties are asking the court to revive impeachment proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa over the PhalaPhala scandal.

“All we want is for the president not to abuse his power the same way that (former PresidentZuma did at his private residence). We want Ramaphosa to explain where the money that was found at Phala came from. The ANC (African National Congress) always uses its majority in Parliament to protect each other,” Thebe , a part supporter said.

The scandal erupted in 2022 when it was revealed that more than half a million dollars in cash hidden at one of Ramaphosa's farms, had been stolen years earlier and kept secret.

A vote of Parliament where Ramaphosa held a majority saved him from impeachement proceedigns.

EFF leader Julius Malema wants a full parliamentary investigation.

"We are here to hold the executive accountable. (The) ANC came inside court to defend corruption. To defend a man who did not dispute that there was money at his farm.”

“Comrades, we are going to win this case against (South African President Cyril) Ramaphosa. And we’ll call him back in parliament and we'll start an impeachment process because the ANC used its majority in an unconstitutional manner,” he told the crowds gathered in Johannesburg.

The EFF and the African Transformation Movement party argue that parliament failed to properly fulfill its constitutional role of holding the president to account.

Ramaphosa was cleared of wrongdoing by financial authorities, by a public watchdog and by police after a criminal investigation.

Any revival of impeachment hearings could be risky for the leader of Africa's most advanced economy, who was reelected for a second term in June with the help of coalition partners. However, the EFF and ATM are small parties and would ultimately need support from others who joined the ANC-led coalition government to impeach Ramaphosa, which is seen as unlikely.

The Constitutional Court typically takes weeks and sometimes months to deliver a ruling.