Ramaphosa Seeks Judicial Review After Court Ruling

President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that he will not resign amid calls for his resignation and is instead seeking a judicial review of a report concerning the Phala Phala incident. In a televised address, Ramaphosa stated that he will challenge the Constitutional Court's ruling, which found that Parliament acted unconstitutionally in 2022 when it voted against establishing an impeachment inquiry into him.

The court had previously declared that the parliamentary decision was invalid and directed that an independent panel report be referred to the impeachment committee for further examination. The panel, chaired by former Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo, concluded that there was prima facie evidence that Ramaphosa may have committed serious misconduct in handling a burglary at his Phala Phala game farm, including failing to report the crime properly, which could potentially breach executive ethics.

Ramaphosa has consistently denied any wrongdoing, asserting that the money involved was from legitimate sales of buffalo. The Constitutional Court's ruling places the matter back in Parliament, where opposition parties are expected to push for a full inquiry process.