Parliament’s Impeachment Committee Votes to Appeal Order Halting Hearings Into President Ramaphosa

• Parliament's Section 89 Impeachment Committee has responded to the Western Cape High Court ruling halting its proceedings
• The interim interdict, granted on 24 July 2026, paused hearings into President Cyril Ramaphosa regarding the Phala Phala matter
• Ramaphosa approached the court asking for an interdict pending his review of the 2022 independent panel report

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 — Parliament's Section 89 Impeachment Committee has voted to challenge a Western Cape High Court order that brought its public proceedings to a standstill.

Following a meeting on Wednesday, 29 July 2026, the committee formally resolved to appeal the interim interdict issued by the Western Cape High Court on 24 July 2026, which halted its public impeachment hearings against President Cyril Ramaphosa.

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The Impeachment Committee was established following the Constitutional Court’s ruling that the National Assembly acted unlawfully by rejecting a report into the theft of foreign currency from the president’s Phala Phala farm.

Committee divided on the way forward

The decision to appeal was not without internal disagreement. Opposition party members on the committee argued that allowing the interdict to stand would fundamentally compromise Parliament's ability to exercise oversight over the executive, a core constitutional function.

Despite the legal pause on public hearings, the committee has continued with preparatory work, including the appointment of evidence leaders who will guide the process once proceedings resume.

Interdict tied to independent panel report

The court's interdict suspended the committee's public proceedings while Ramaphosa pursues a judicial review of the 2022 independent panel report. That report, compiled by a panel led by retired Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo, found that Ramaphosa may have committed serious violations of the Constitution and misconduct in connection with the Phala Phala farm scandal.

The scandal centres on a large sum of foreign currency that was concealed on Ramaphosa's Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo in 2020 following a reported theft. The panel's conclusions triggered the Section 89 constitutional removal process, which requires a committee of the National Assembly to investigate and report on whether sufficient grounds exist for the president's removal.

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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