South Africa

Ramaphosa Challenges Farm Scandal Impeachment in Court

Is Ramaphosa right to challenge a flawed impeachment report in court or is he dodging accountability with Stalingrad tactics?

Published MAY 27

Ramaphosa Challenges Farm Scandal Impeachment in Court

Story

Above: Cyril Ramaphosa at a ceremony to bestow National Orders on deserving recipients, Pretoria, South Africa, on May 19. Image credit: Leon Sadiki/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-government narrative

The independent panel that found misconduct evidence against Ramaphosa relied on hearsay, misunderstood its constitutional mandate and used potentially unlawfully obtained evidence — including a confidential Namibian police report. Removing a president requires proof of intentional, bad-faith conduct, not speculation or procedural shortcuts. Challenging a fatally flawed report in court is the legally sound move, not an evasion of accountability.

The Mail & Guardian EWN Modern Diplomacy

Government-critical narrative

Dragging out court battles while taxpayers foot the bill looks a lot like the Zuma-era Stalingrad litigation playbook, and South Africa can hardly afford a repeat. The Constitutional Court already ruled that Parliament acted unlawfully by shelving the matter, so the impeachment committee must move forward regardless. Ramaphosa’s claims of innocence carry little weight if he refuses to let the process run its transparent and lawful course.

ENCA IOL Democratic Alliance