South African Parliament Agrees On Impeachment Committee To Probe Ramaphosa Over Phala Phala Scandal

Speaker Thoko Didiza

National Assembly of South Africa has agreed on the composition of a special Section 89 committee that will determine whether there is prima facie evidence to proceed with impeachment proceedings against Cyril Ramaphosa over the controversial Phala Phala scandal. The decision was finalised during a meeting of Parliament’s Chief Whips’ Forum on Wednesday, with political parties agreeing on a 31-member committee structure designed to reflect party representation in the National Assembly.

Under the agreed formula:

• African National Congress (ANC) will hold nine seats

• Democratic Alliance (DA) will have five seats

• uMkhonto we Sizwe Party (MK Party) will receive three seats

• Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) will hold two seats

The remaining 12 seats will be distributed among smaller political parties represented in Parliament.

However, Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC) and GOOD will not be represented on the committee because both parties currently participate in Ramaphosa’s executive, creating what the parties described as potential conflicts of interest.

Parliament said the committee’s composition was guided by National Assembly Rule 154(1), which requires committees to broadly reflect political party strength in the House.

According to parliamentary documents:

“The effect of giving each party represented in the Assembly a minimum of one member to enable participation by all is that it skews the proportional strength of the House in favour of smaller parties.”

Thoko Didiza is now expected to formally request political parties to submit nominations for MPs who will serve on the committee.

A proposal to establish a smaller 14-member panel was rejected during deliberations.

Under that alternative arrangement:

• The ANC would have held five seats

• The DA has three seats

• MK Party has two seats

• EFF one seat

The remaining smaller parties would have collectively shared only three seats. Opposition parties reportedly argued that the larger committee would allow broader parliamentary representation during proceedings of major constitutional significance.

The development follows Ramaphosa’s announcement earlier this week that he intends to seek a judicial review of the independent panel's findings after the Constitutional Court of South Africa overturned Parliament’s 2022 decision blocking impeachment proceedings. The independent panel, chaired by former Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo, previously found prima facie evidence suggesting Ramaphosa may have:

• Violated the Constitution

• Committed serious misconduct

• Failed to properly account for the theft of foreign currency from his Phala Phala farm in Limpopo in 2020

Meanwhile, Vuyo Zungula, leader of the African Transformation Movement (ATM), has written to Didiza requesting that a motion of no confidence against Ramaphosa also be tabled.

Zungula warned against attempts to weaken Parliament’s constitutional oversight role through delays and legal tactics.

“The speaker of the National Assembly now carries a historic responsibility to defend the integrity of Parliament,” Zungula said.

He further urged political parties committed to accountability to resist attempts to frustrate parliamentary processes through procedural manoeuvres. The Section 89 committee is expected to play a critical role in determining whether South Africa proceeds toward one of the country’s most politically significant impeachment processes since the democratic era began.

Cyril Ramaphosa impeachment