The African National Congress (ANC) says the recent High Court decision to temporarily halt Parliament’s public impeachment inquiry into President Cyril Ramaphosa should not be viewed as preventing lawmakers from exercising oversight.
The party maintains that the ruling is limited to the current legal process and does not remove Parliament’s responsibility to hold the President accountable. The judgment follows Ramaphosa’s successful bid for interim relief while he challenges the independent panel report that triggered the Section 89 process.
Ramaphosa Impeachment Inquiry Paused Pending Court Review
The Western Cape High Court ruled that the public phase of the Ramaphosa impeachment inquiry cannot proceed until the President’s review application has been heard. The court found that his concerns over possible reputational damage if the hearings continued before the review was finalised were not without merit.
Judges held that allowing the process to continue could result in irreversible consequences before the legal challenge is decided.
Judge Andre le Grange, delivering the ruling on Friday after two days of arguments last week, said the majority of the full bench believed Ramaphosa should be protected from a public process that could affect his dignity and reputation.
He also noted that one of the three judges disagreed that the President had established sufficient grounds for interim relief. However, the majority concluded that once the hearings started, the “genie would have been let out of the bottle”.
ANC Says Ramaphosa Accountability Process Must Remain Fair
The ANC insists the court ruling is about ensuring a fair Ramaphosa accountability process rather than deciding whether the President is guilty or innocent. ANC Member of Parliament Mika Mahlaule urged political parties not to misrepresent the judgment or its implications.
“We call on parties to respect [the judgment], and not to go out and say this judgment has to do with merits whether the president is found guilty or not. It has nothing to do with that,” said Mahlaule.
[MK Party Demands Ramaphosa Testify In Person At Impeachment Inquiry]
He said the review of the independent panel’s findings would help ensure fairness throughout the impeachment proceedings.
Parliament’s Section 89 Committee To Continue Preparatory Work
Although public hearings have been suspended, Parliament’s Section 89 impeachment committee is expected to continue with aspects of its work that are not affected by the court order. Committee chairperson Makashule Gana said members would first study the judgment before outlining the way forward.
SEE TODAY'S TOP HEADLINES ACROSS LEADING PUBLICATIONS
“We will then be able to give further updates in terms of the work the committee still needs to do. From what I’ve heard, it’s only the public hearings that have been interdicted,” said Gana.
The committee is still due to meet on Wednesday to finalise its terms of reference for the inquiry and decide on the appointment of an evidence leader.
