MK Party and UAT lose appeal against Ramaphosa impeachment inquiry interdict
The uMkhonto weSizwe MK Party and United Africans Transformation UAT were unsuccessful in their bid to appeal an interim order that temporarily halted President Cyril Ramaphosa鈥檚 Phala Phala impeachment inquiry. The Western Cape High Court in Cape Town dismissed their application for leave to appeal on Friday, 28 August 2026. The two parties had sought to challenge an earlier ruling that granted Ramaphosa an interim interdict, preventing the impeachment committee from holding public hearings under Rule 129M. However, the court's 24 July 2026 ruling did not completely stop the committee's work, allowing preparatory activities to continue. The interim order remains in effect until the outcome of Ramaphosa鈥檚 review application, where he is challenging the findings of a Section 89 independent panel. This panel concluded that the president needed to answer questions regarding the theft of approximately $580,000 from his Phala Phala game farm. Judge Matthew Francis, in dismissing the appeal, stated that the earlier order was narrowly defined and did not prevent the committee from undertaking permitted work. He also noted that the interim interdict would lapse once judgment is delivered in Ramaphosa鈥檚 review application, scheduled for 2 to 4 September. Francis concluded that the threshold for granting leave to appeal was not met, emphasizing that the central issue is whether the Section 89 panel report should be set aside, an issue an appeal against the interim restraint would not r