Constitutional Court declines to hear appeal on Ramaphosa Phala Phala interdict ruling
The Constitutional Court ConCourt has rejected an urgent appeal to overturn a ruling that halted President Cyril Ramaphosa's Phala Phala impeachment inquiry. The ConCourt declined to grant direct access and dismissed applications for leave to appeal, stating that it is not in the interests of justice to hear the matter at this stage. This decision is based on the upcoming review in the Western Cape Division of the High Court, which is expected to render the interim interdict moot. Several political parties, including the ATM, EFF, United Africans Transformation, and the uMkhonto weSizwe MK Party, had sought to reverse the Western Cape High Court's ruling that granted Ramaphosa an interdict. This interdict paused the public hearings of Parliament's impeachment committee, pending the president's review application against a Section 89 independent panel report. Ramaphosa aims to overturn the panel's findings, which concluded he has questions to answer regarding the theft of approximately $580,000 from his Phala Phala game farm in February 2020. The review is scheduled to be heard from 2 to 4 September by the Western Cape High Court. This legal development follows a ConCourt ruling in May, which found that Parliament had acted unlawfully by blocking impeachment proceedings against the president in December 2022, leading to an order for the National Assembly to establish a formal impeachment committee.