CAPE TOWN, WESTERN CAPE – The Economic Freedom Fighters have strongly condemned President Cyril Ramaphosa’s urgent legal application to halt the parliamentary impeachment process. EFF Member of Parliament and party spokesperson Sinawo Thambo dismissed the President’s move as a delaying tactic while he challenges the Section 89 Independent Panel Report in the Western Cape High Court.
Ramaphosa recently filed urgent papers seeking to review and set aside the independent panel’s report, which found prima facie evidence that he may have violated the constitution and the law. In his application, the President argues that the impeachment proceedings cannot continue while the report’s validity is being challenged. He claims he will suffer prejudice and asserts that no satisfactory alternative remedy exists, despite having written to the Speaker of the National Assembly and the chairperson of the impeachment committee. Ramaphosa’s legal team contends that if consequences flowing from the report occur before a review court determines its validity, his ability to obtain substantial redress will be materially undermined.
Reacting to the filing, Thambo pushed back aggressively, calling the President’s claims “ridiculous.” He characterized the legal maneuver as a multitude of tactics designed to avoid and delay the impeachment committee’s work. Referencing paragraph 139 of the Constitutional Court judgment, Thambo emphasized that the committee’s work must continue until the Chief Justice’s report is officially set aside. He clarified that merely filing an application for an interdict does not automatically constitute a granted interdict.
Thambo argued that if Ramaphosa were genuinely interested in defending his integrity, he would have placed the independent panel report on review in 2022. The EFF spokesperson alleged that the President did not do so at the time because he believed he had a parliamentary majority to suppress the findings—a strategy that was subsequently declared unconstitutional.
Addressing the President’s claims of impending prejudice and reputational damage, Thambo pointed out that both the Section 89 report and the report into Phala Phala are already public documents. He questioned what specific consequences the President could possibly be referring to, suggesting that Ramaphosa is either casting unwarranted doubt on the efficiency of the country’s courts or acting primarily to protect his personal reputation.
“He is engaged in something very personal that is not in the interest of law, not in the interest of transparency, [and] not in the interest of constitutionalism,” Thambo stated, dismissing the President’s arguments as frivolous and asserting that there is no reputational damage left to suffer beyond what has already occurred.
Looking ahead, Thambo confirmed that the EFF, who are cited in the President’s application, will formally oppose the urgent bid. He noted that the African Transformation Movement (ATM) has also signaled its intention to oppose the application, and the EFF expressed confidence in defeating the legal challenge.
Thambo highlighted that the impeachment committee is scheduled to hold its first meeting following the election of its chairperson on June 24, 2026. He affirmed that the EFF will actively participate in the proceedings to ensure that no illogical legal arguments succeed in stifling Parliament’s oversight over the executive.
