HAPPENING NOW: RAMAPHOSA FACES IMPEACHMENT SHOWDOWN AFTER COURT BOMBSHELL
South Africa is heading for a dramatic political showdown after Parliament was ordered to launch an impeachment probe into President Cyril Ramaphosa over the explosive Phala Phala scandal.
The move follows a landmark Constitutional Court ruling which slammed Parliament’s previous handling of the matter as “irrational” and unlawful. In a unanimous judgment delivered on 8 May 2026, the country’s highest court ruled that MPs failed in their constitutional duty when they voted in 2022 to block impeachment proceedings against the President.
At the heart of the scandal is the mysterious theft of around $580,000 in foreign currency from Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala game farm in February 2020 and allegations that the robbery was secretly covered up.
The court backed challenges brought by the EFF and ATM, saying impeachment powers cannot be used for political convenience.
Parliament has now confirmed an impeachment committee will be formed to investigate whether Ramaphosa should be removed from office, setting the stage for one of the biggest political battles since the end of apartheid.