Impeachment committee to appeal Phala Phala interdict ruling

By Simon Nare

The parliamentary Impeachment Committee investigating President Cyril Ramaphosa’s handling of the theft of foreign currency at his Phala Phala farm has resolved to appeal the Western Cape High Court ruling that interdicted its public hearings.

The decision was taken during a virtual meeting on Wednesday, with members arguing that the judgment should be challenged to uphold Parliament’s constitutional mandate to hold the President accountable.

The committee had previously opposed Ramaphosa’s application to halt its proceedings.

Ramaphosa approached the court seeking an interdict, arguing that allowing the committee’s public hearings to proceed before the judicial review of the Independent Panel’s report would cause him irreparable harm.

The court granted the interim interdict in a split judgment, with one judge dissenting, but allowed the committee to continue its preparatory work.

Committee members in favour of an appeal argued that the ruling undermined Parliament’s oversight role and created uncertainty over