Breaking news: New Update on Ramaphosa Impeachment
The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party and United Africans Transformation (UAT) have failed in their attempt to appeal an interim order that halted President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala impeachment inquiry.
The Western Cape High Court in Cape Town dismissed their application for leave to appeal on Friday, 28 August 2026.
The two political parties had approached the court seeking permission to challenge its earlier ruling, which granted Ramaphosa an interim interdict preventing the impeachment committee from proceeding with public hearings.
The 24 July 2026 ruling did not, however, bring the committee’s work to a complete standstill.
While public hearings under Rule 129M of the National Assembly’s rules were temporarily stopped, the committee was allowed to continue with preparatory activities.
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The interim order remains in place pending the outcome of Ramaphosa’s review application, in which he is challenging the findings of a Section 89 independent panel.
The panel, in its report, concluded that the president had questions to answer over the theft of approximately $580 000 (about R9.6 million) from his Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo on 9 February 2020.
Ramaphosa is seeking to have the panel’s findings overturned.
Ramaphosa interdict didn’t halt impeachment committee
In dismissing the appeal application, Judge Matthew Francis said the earlier order was narrowly framed and did not prevent the impeachment committee from continuing with work that it was still permitted to undertake.
Francis stressed that the 24 July ruling did not completely restrain the committee, which is made up of 31 members of parliament from 16 political parties.
He also pointed out that the interim interdict would lapse once judgment is handed down in Ramaphosa’s review application, which is scheduled to be heard from 2 to 4 September.
“The committee’s terms of reference are not yet fulfilled and fall to be considered on 1 September 2026.
“The president has objected to the proposed chief evidence leader, and a legal opinion has been sought. No assistant evidence leaders had been appointed.