EFF Seeks Constitutional Court Intervention After President Ramaphosa Secures Impeachment Interdict

• The Economic Freedom Fighters has filed an urgent application at the Constitutional Court following a ruling about the Impeachment Committee
• The Western Cape High Court ruled in Cyril Ramaphosa's favour and blocked Parliament's Section 89 Impeachment Committee from holding hearings
• President Ramaphosa sought the interim interdict as he seeks to challenge the Section 89 Independent Panel report into the Phala Phala theft

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.

GAUTENG — The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has filed an urgent application at the Constitutional Court, seeking direct leave to appeal a Western Cape High Court ruling that halted President Cyril Ramaphosa's impeachment proceedings in Parliament.

The application, announced on Tuesday, 28 July 2026, challenges a majority judgment handed down on 24 July 2026, in which the Western Cape High Court granted Ramaphosa an interim interdict preventing the Section 89 Impeachment Committee from continuing its work.

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Ramaphosa sought the interim interdict pending the outcome of his separate review application, in which he is challenging the Section 89 Independent Panel report. That review has been set down for hearing in early September 2026.

The report found that the President had a case to answer regarding the theft of foreign currency from his farm, but the African National Congress used its majority in the National Assembly to dismiss the panel’s report in 2022.

EFF argues that Parliament's powers were undermined

The EFF has positioned itself as the third applicant in the Constitutional Court matter, joining Vuyolwethu Zungula and the African Transformation Movement (ATM) in contesting the interdict.

The party argues that the High Court's ruling was fundamentally flawed and constituted an improper interference with Parliament's constitutional authority.

Central to the EFF's case is Section 89 of the Constitution, which grants Parliament the power to determine whether grounds exist to remove a sitting president from office. According to the EFF, the judiciary cannot lawfully suspend that process before Parliament has reached any conclusion.

The interim interdict, as it stands, bars the Speaker of the National Assembly and the Chairperson of the Impeachment Committee from proceeding with public hearings under Rule 129M of the National Assembly Rules.

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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