National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza confirmed on Monday that she is moving to comply with the Constitutional Court’s judgment by beginning the process of appointing an impeachment committee to examine the Section 89 report into the Phala Phala scandal.
“In compliance with the judgment of the court, the speaker will initiate the process to constitute the impeachment committee in terms of rules 129J to 129O of the Rules of the National Assembly to consider the Section 89 inquiry process contemplated in the Constitution and the Rules of the Assembly,” Parliament said in a statement.
Before that process can begin, Didiza must formally place the independent panel report before the National Assembly, in line with the court’s interpretation of rule 129I.
She is also required to provide President Cyril Ramaphosa with a copy of the Independent Panel Report.
Once those steps have been completed, the report will be referred to the impeachment committee for consideration.
The court’s judgment will also be sent to the National Assembly’s subcommittee on the review of rules, which must process the amendments required to the assembly’s rules following the court’s findings and directives.
The subcommittee will report to the rules committee, which will then submit recommendations to the National Assembly for consideration.
Burglary at the president’s farm
Didiza will also determine the programme, timelines, procedural arrangements and institutional support needed to ensure the impeachment committee is able to complete its work effectively, fairly and within the constitutional framework.
“The Constitutional Court reaffirms the constitutional obligations of the National Assembly in relation to accountability, oversight and the constitutional mechanisms established under Section 89 of the Constitution.
“Parliament remains committed to discharging these constitutional responsibilities with due regard to constitutionalism, legality, fairness, institutional integrity and the rule of law,” Parliament said.
On Friday, the highest court in the land ruled that the National Assembly rule allowing MPs to block a full impeachment inquiry was unconstitutional.
Handing down the majority judgment, Chief Justice Mandisa Maya found that the parliamentary process used to halt a full inquiry into Ramaphosa’s conduct was inconsistent with the Constitution and therefore invalid.
The case was brought in 2022 by the EFF, supported by the African Transformation Movement, after allegations arising from the burglary at Ramaphosa’s private game farm in Phala Phala.
This story has been updated
- Please upload the news article you would like me to summarize.
