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EFF to march to ConCourt demanding Phala Phala judgment
2 hrs ago |
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The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have announced plans to march to the Constitutional Court of South Africa to demand the release of a long-awaited judgment on their review application challenging Parliament's decision to reject the Independent Panel Report into President Cyril Ramaphosa's Phala Phala scandal.
The protest is scheduled for 28 November 2025, starting at 10:00 am from Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown, Johannesburg, and ending at the Constitutional Court on Constitutional Hill in Braamfontein.
The EFF said the demonstration seeks to compel the apex court to release its ruling on whether Parliament acted lawfully when it voted against adopting the Independent Panel's findings, which concluded that there was prima facie evidence of criminal conduct related to the theft of US$580,000 from Ramaphosa's Phala Phala Farm in February 2020.
The panel, chaired by former Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo, found that Parliament had sufficient grounds to pursue an impeachment inquiry into the President. However, the African National Congress (ANC) used its parliamentary majority to reject the report, shielding Ramaphosa from accountability, the EFF said.
"It took intimidation by the ruling party and the irrational and unconstitutional use of its parliamentary majority for President Cyril Ramaphosa to escape accountability," the EFF stated. The party said it subsequently approached the Constitutional Court to have Parliament's decision overturned and the report sent back for proper consideration.
The Constitutional Court heard the matter on 26 November 2024, but has not yet issued its judgment nearly a year later. The EFF has criticised what it calls a "delay of justice," accusing the court of contributing to a perception that the President is above the law.
"The failure by the Constitutional Court to provide this judgment and determine whether Parliament's decision was lawful gives the impression that the President of the Republic is untouchable," the EFF said.
The party further suggested that the delay raises concerns about judicial independence, saying, "The continued and inexplicable withholding of the Phala Phala judgment gives credence to suspicions that our judiciary is captured."
The EFF said it will continue to demand accountability and transparency, insisting that the judiciary must not be complicit in what it describes as a pattern of "executive impunity."
The protest is scheduled for 28 November 2025, starting at 10:00 am from Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown, Johannesburg, and ending at the Constitutional Court on Constitutional Hill in Braamfontein.
The EFF said the demonstration seeks to compel the apex court to release its ruling on whether Parliament acted lawfully when it voted against adopting the Independent Panel's findings, which concluded that there was prima facie evidence of criminal conduct related to the theft of US$580,000 from Ramaphosa's Phala Phala Farm in February 2020.
The panel, chaired by former Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo, found that Parliament had sufficient grounds to pursue an impeachment inquiry into the President. However, the African National Congress (ANC) used its parliamentary majority to reject the report, shielding Ramaphosa from accountability, the EFF said.
"It took intimidation by the ruling party and the irrational and unconstitutional use of its parliamentary majority for President Cyril Ramaphosa to escape accountability," the EFF stated. The party said it subsequently approached the Constitutional Court to have Parliament's decision overturned and the report sent back for proper consideration.
The Constitutional Court heard the matter on 26 November 2024, but has not yet issued its judgment nearly a year later. The EFF has criticised what it calls a "delay of justice," accusing the court of contributing to a perception that the President is above the law.
"The failure by the Constitutional Court to provide this judgment and determine whether Parliament's decision was lawful gives the impression that the President of the Republic is untouchable," the EFF said.
The party further suggested that the delay raises concerns about judicial independence, saying, "The continued and inexplicable withholding of the Phala Phala judgment gives credence to suspicions that our judiciary is captured."
The EFF said it will continue to demand accountability and transparency, insisting that the judiciary must not be complicit in what it describes as a pattern of "executive impunity."
Source - Byo24News
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