By Simon Nare
President Cyril Ramaphosa must willingly participate in the Section 89 impeachment process to ensure effective public accountability over allegations surrounding the theft of foreign currency from his private Phala Phala farm, the Western Cape High Court heard on Friday.
This was the central argument advanced by Advocate Thabani Masuku SC, counsel for the United Africans Transformation (UAT), before the full bench.
Masuku argued that the Section 89 process was a constitutional mechanism for holding the president to account and that Ramaphosa’s version of events surrounding the theft should be tested by the Impeachment Committee rather than the process being halted.
He warned that setting aside the independent panel’s report would result in a prolonged process, potentially requiring the National Assembly to establish another panel and restart the proceedings.
Ramaphosa approached the court seeking a judicial review after the Constitutional Court found in 2022 that the National Assembly
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