President Ramaphosa challenges Phala Phala panel report in High Court

The argument was made on September 2, 2026, during the first day of a three-day hearing in Cape Town regarding Ramaphosa’s review application. The panel, chaired by former chief justice Sandile Ngcobo, had concluded that Ramaphosa had a case to answer concerning the theft of approximately $580,000 from his Phala Phala game farm on February 9, 2020. Ramaphosa is asking the court to review and set aside the panel’s report, asserting it was flawed and based on untested evidence.

Advocate Wim Trengove, representing Ramaphosa, contended that the panel did not correctly apply Parliament’s impeachment rules, specifically the requirement that conduct amounting to a serious constitutional violation, gross misconduct, or contravention of the law must have been committed intentionally. Trengove emphasized that the president consistently maintained he acted in good faith by reporting the matter to Wally Rhoode, head of the Presidential Protection Unit. He also challenged the panel's interpretation of the evidentiary threshold, arguing that it confused "sufficient evidence" for an impeachment hearing with "prima facie" evidence.

The court proceedings are part of an ongoing legal and political dispute, following a Constitutional Court ruling in May that Parliament acted unlawfully in s