South Africa's National Assembly has constituted a 31-member committee to launch an impeachment inquiry into President Cyril Ramaphosa [1].
This move marks a critical escalation in the legal challenges facing the presidency. The inquiry follows a directive from the nation's highest court, signaling that the legislative branch must now determine if the president's conduct warrants removal from office.
The process was triggered by a Constitutional Court ruling delivered on Friday, May 8, 2026 [4]. The court found prima facie evidence linking Ramaphosa to the Phala Phala farm cash-theft scandal, which originally occurred in 2022 [2, 5]. Based on these findings, the court directed Parliament to consider the impeachment of the president [1, 3].
The formation of the 31-member committee was reported on May 13 [1, 6]. This committee is tasked with investigating the details of the scandal and determining the viability of impeachment proceedings [1]. The Phala Phala case has been characterized by prolonged legal delays, including a four-year delay in the judicial review of the initial panel report [7].
There is currently a discrepancy regarding the immediate status of the proceedings. While some reports indicate the committee has been formally constituted to launch the inquiry [1], other accounts suggest political parties are waiting for the Speaker to announce if Parliament will proceed while the president pursues a judicial review [6].
The presidency has previously indicated that Ramaphosa is not interrupting the parliamentary process [3]. However, the president has also weighed various legal options following the May 8 ruling [5]. The National Assembly in Cape Town remains the center of the proceedings as the committee begins its work [1, 6].
“Parliament has constituted a 31-member committee to launch an impeachment inquiry.”
The transition from a judicial finding of prima facie evidence to a formal parliamentary committee moves the Phala Phala scandal from a legal dispute to a political crisis. Because impeachment requires legislative consensus, the outcome will depend on the political loyalty of the National Assembly and the ability of the president to challenge the court's findings through further judicial review.
