President Cyril Ramaphosa filed an application in the Western Cape High Court to stop the parliamentary impeachment process regarding the Phala Phala report [1].
The legal move represents a direct confrontation between the presidency and parliament over the Section 89 [1] independent panel report. If the court grants the interdict, it could indefinitely delay the legislature's ability to hold the president accountable for the findings of the investigation.
Ramaphosa sought the interdict to halt the process while he conducts a review of the report [1]. The president said he would be compelled to seek the court's intervention to protect his legal standing during the proceedings [2].
The application was filed earlier in May 2026, with reports on the formation of the impeachment committee surfacing on May 25, 2026 [3]. The proceedings are centered in Cape Town, where the Western Cape High Court holds jurisdiction over the matter [1].
ActionSA National spokesperson Lerato Ngobeni said the move was an attempt to evade the parliamentary process [1]. The opposition party maintains that the impeachment process must proceed to ensure transparency regarding the Phala Phala saga.
The Section 89 panel was tasked with investigating the presidency's handling of foreign currency found at the president's farm [1]. The resulting report triggered the parliamentary process that Ramaphosa is now attempting to block through the judiciary.
“"I will be compelled to seek an interdict"”
This legal challenge shifts the Phala Phala controversy from a political arena to a judicial one. By seeking a court-mandated pause, the presidency is attempting to neutralize the momentum of the parliamentary impeachment committee. The outcome depends on whether the court views the president's right to review the report as overriding the legislature's constitutional mandate to conduct oversight.
