By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s urgent bid to interdict the commencement of the impeachment inquiry will be heard on the 15 – 16 of July 2026 in the Western Cape Division of the High Court in Cape Town.
Ramaphosa filed papers on Friday, seeking an interdict against National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza and Impeachment Committee Chairperson Makashule Gana.
He wants them barred from commencing the impeachment inquiry pending the decision on his review application regarding the Independent Panel report.
In his papers, Ramaphosa argued that there is a possibility and, in fact, a likelihood that the Impeachment Committee will begin the hearing before the Court has made a decision on the Review Application.
According to Ramaphosa, if the inquiry had to proceed before the review is decided will give rise to considerable prejudice and could cause him irreparable harm.
Ramaphosa’s review application comes as the National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza announced on Monday the list of 31 MPs who will serve on the impeachment committee that will probe the Phala Phala matter.
MPs have already raised concerns about delays in the process of constituting the committee.
This was after the Constitutional Court cleared the path for a public impeachment hearing into his conduct surrounding the theft of cash at his Phala Phala farm. The court found that Rule 129I of the Rules of the National Assembly was unconstitutional and set it aside. It also set aside the National Assembly vote in December 2022, in which it declined to refer Section 89 report to an impeachment committee.
The panel was unconvinced by Ramaphosa’s account of the theft of $580,000 from a couch in a room on his Phala Phala farm in February 2020, and did not accept his claims that the money had been the proceeds of a buffalo sale.
The court is now expected to determine whether the inquiry should be paused pending the outcome of the broader review case. The review application is scheduled for hearing between 2 and 4 September.
In a statement, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) said it would oppose the interdict, insisting that the President was seeking to avoid accountability.
“Instead of welcoming an opportunity to clear his name before the impeachment committee, he has chosen to wage an endless legal battle against the very process designed to establish the truth. Rather than resign and allow Parliament to perform its constitutional responsibilities without interference, President Ramaphosa has elected to fight the impeachment process at every turn,” said the party’s national spokesperson, Sinawo Tambo.
The African Transformation Movement (ATM) also intends to oppose the President’s interdict application.
Ramaphosa’s papers argue that the Constitution and Parliament’s rules recognise that the consequences of an impeachment process against a sitting president are serious and far-reaching, which is why the process is subject to strict safeguards.
“The consequences of an impeachment enquiry extend far beyond my personal interests. They implicate the office of the President, and the stability and functioning of the National Executive.”
Ramaphosa argues that forcing him to participate in a lengthy impeachment inquiry before the review application is decided could unnecessarily disrupt the work of the Presidency if the Section 89 report is later set aside.