Cyril Ramaphosa Files Application to Review Phala Phala Report, Says Panel Misunderstood Its Mandate

• President Cyril Ramaphosa is heading to court, as he seeks to challenge the independent panel's report in Phala Phala
• The report found prima facie evidence that the president may have violated his oath of office regarding the theft at his farm
• South Africans took to social media to weigh in on Ramaphosa's decision to go to court, sharing mixed reactions to it

Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.

WESTERN CAPE - President Cyril Ramaphosa has formally lodged an application to review the report into Phala Phala.

The Section 89 Independent Panel Report found prima facie evidence that the president may have violated his oath of office regarding the cover-up of the theft of foreign currency from his farm in 2020.

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The National Assembly initially rejected the report in 2022, but the Constitutional Court has since ruled that this decision was unlawful and unconstitutional.

With impeachment proceedings now getting underway, and a 31-member committee set up to decide whether there are grounds for impeachment, Ramaphosa has taken the legal route to review and set aside the report.

Ramaphosa claims independent panel misunderstood its mandate

In papers filed at the Western Cape High Court on 26 May 2026, the president argued that the independent panel misunderstood its mandate in at least four respects, saying it misconstrued what it was supposed to conduct.

Ramaphosa further claimed that the panel made conclusions based on hearsay statements, without any regard to the law.

“Save for the limited evidence I introduced in my response, there was no evidence before the panel,” the president said in his court papers.

Ramaphosa also suggested that the panel failed to take into consideration whether Arthur Fraser or someone else lawfully obtained the confidential Namibian police report and the audio clip of the unknown suspect's interrogation.

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Fraser was the one who opened a case against Ramaphosa in 2022, after he received information that there was a robbery at the game farm that was never reported. In his court papers, Ramaphosa questioned how Fraser got some of the more confidential information.

“There is no explanation for how the confidential Namibian police report and the audio clip found their way to the panel. It is therefore possible that the Namibian police’s confidential report reached the panel by unlawful means,” he claimed.

Other stories about the ConCourt ruling

Briefly News has covered several articles about the aftermath of the ruling, as several politicians weighed in on the judgment.

• Julius Malema welcomed the ConCourt’s ruling and suggested that Ramaphosa resign before he was impeached.
• Mahlengi Bhengu said that the African National Congress was committed to the rule of law following the ruling.
• The Democratic Alliance said that the president must be held accountable after the ConCourt’s decision.
• Gayton McKenzie insisted that the Patriotic Alliance would not vote to impeach President Ramaphosa.
• Herman Mashaba called the Phala Phala saga a serious embarrassment to the nation.

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South Africans react to Ramaphosa’s decision

Social media users weighed in on Ramaphosa’s latest move, sharing mixed reactions to it.

Dalasile Akon joked:

“I saw him carrying an envelope. I thought he was submitting his resignation letter.”

Ntombifuthi Ntame stated:

“Referee and a player at the same time. Nice.”

Thibos said:

“I support the move. It is within his rights to review it, like Malema did by appealing his conviction.”

Mthembeni Jele agreed:

“Let him take any action that he deems fit. It's his constitutional right, mos.”

Moffat Chuene claimed:

“He's trying to run away from something, but he fails to understand that the law will finally catch up with him.”

Lindani Msamariya Olungileyo Makama suggested:

“Might this be where you will see that we are not equal before the law?”

Kyle Scott Sherwood stated:

“He wouldn't be fighting so hard if it were all above board and nothing illegal. But he's doing everything he can to stop it from happening.”

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Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula discusses Phala Phala vote

Briefly News reported that Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula recently discussed the 2022 National Assembly vote regarding the Phala Phala report.

The former National Assembly spokesperson explained that ANC Members of Parliament were told to vote against the report.

South Africans took to social media to express scepticism over Mapisa-Nqakula's sincerity, given her own legal battles of late.

Source: Briefly News