Zuma and MK Party Accuse Ramaphosa of Delay Tactics to Avoid Accountability, Citizens Find It Ironic

• Jacob Zuma and the uMkhonto weSizwe Party have weighed in on Cyril Ramaphosa's decision to challenge the Phala Phala report
• The president recently filed an application to review and set aside the independent panel report into the Phala Phala farm theft
• South Africans weighed in on the statement, noting how ironic it was that the former president was criticising Ramaphosa

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.

KWAZULU-NATAL – Jacob Zuma and the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party have accused President Cyril Ramaphosa of using the courts to delay impeachment proceedings.

Ramaphosa formally lodged an application at the Western Cape High Court on 26 May 2026, asking that the court review and set aside the Phala Phala report.

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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.

The National Assembly initially rejected the report in 2022, but the Constitutional Court has since ruled that this decision was unlawful and unconstitutional. The ruling paved the way for impeachment proceedings to begin, but the president has since filed papers to challenge the report, which is at the heart of the matter.

Zuma’s lawyers address Ramaphosa’s application

Lawyers for Zuma and the MK Party weighed in on Ramaphosa’s decision, saying that presidential accountability was a very serious matter.

The legal team for the former president and his party argued that Ramaphosa's review application was ‘singularly hopeless and littered with countless procedural and substantive legal flaws’.

"It constitutes a blatant abuse of the court process with zero prospects of success. Its sole futile intention is to delay the inevitable continuation of the impeachment committee enquiry, which is currently underway,” the legal team claimed.

Zuma and the MKP's lawyers stated that the president held the highest possible duty not to engage in delay tactics, which were solely aimed at evading accountability.

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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.

South Africans react to delay tactic accusations

Social media users weighed in on the accusations, finding it ironic considering that Zuma’s arms deal trial has been delayed often through court applications.

@TurrokJack said:

“He's delayed his corruption trial for over a decade and finds a foolish reason to point a finger at Ramaphosa.”

Read also

Cyril Ramaphosa files application to review Phala Phala report, says panel misunderstood its mandate

@SpecttreMan asked:

“Yena, how long has he been delaying the arms deal case?”

@NkosiWish stated:

“Ramaphosa is doing what Zuma has been doing for years. To this day, Zuma is using every trick in the book to avoid accountability for corruption in the arms deal.”

@boetapta_xxx noted:

“Says the master of delays.”

@Law_Jabs agreed:

“The very great master of Stalingrad style."

@claudset said:

“He learned from the best.”

@Mpume90462050 added:

“This must be the biggest joke ever.”

ANC backs Cyril Ramaphosa over Phala Phala decision

In another article, the ANC's National Executive Committee (NEC) met to discuss the Constitutional Court's recent ruling on Phala Phala.

Briefly News reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa was not present at the meeting, as he was the subject of the discussions that were taking place.

South Africans took to social media to share mixed reactions to the NEC's resolution that the party stood behind the president's decision.

Source: Briefly News