Ramaphosa Plea to Halt Impeachment 'Selfless Act to Protect Future Leaders': Presidency

The single sharpest fact in one or two punchy sentences is this: President Cyril Ramaphosa's Presidency has defended his bid in the Western Cape High Court to halt an impeachment inquiry, claiming it's a selfless act to protect the office of the President for future leaders.

This claim was made by Ramaphosa's spokesperson Vincent Magwenya during a media briefing, where he stated that the President is seeking to have the inquiry stopped due to a flawed report that forms the basis of the impeachment process. The Presidency argued that if the inquiry proceeds, it will set a precedent that could be detrimental to future Presidents, making it easier for them to be removed from office.

The President's bid to halt the inquiry has been met with resistance from several parties, including the MK Party, which argued that Ramaphosa is not being held accountable for his actions and is instead seeking to avoid the humiliation of being questioned. Advocate Dali Mpofu SC, representing the MK Party, stated that the people of South Africa have the right to hold their President accountable through their elected representatives, which is Parliament.

The Constitutional Court had previously ruled that the report into the Phala Phala scandal, in which Ramaphosa was accused of concealing foreign currency stolen from his farm, was not properly assessed by the panel that investigated it. The court ruled that the report should be re-examined, which has led to the current impeachment inquiry. The inquiry aims to determine whether Ramaphosa should be removed from office over the scandal.

Advocate Wim Trengove SC, representing Ramaphosa, argued that the panel that investigated the scandal set the bar too low for removing a sitting President. He claimed that the report should not be the basis for the impeachment inquiry, as it is flawed and does not provide sufficient evidence to warrant the President's removal.

The judges in the case, led by André le Grange, have been critical of Ramaphosa's actions, with le Grange stating that the President seems to think that his own account should trump all other evidence against him. The judges have also pointed out that Ramaphosa's complaint about the report is narrower than he claimed, and that he is actually arguing that the panel did not properly weigh his version of events.

The application to halt the impeachment inquiry is set to continue, with Advocate William Mokhare SC, representing the impeachment committee chairperson Makashule Gana, arguing that the committee should be allowed to proceed with the inquiry.

Cyril Ramaphosa has been at the center of a heated debate over accountability after his bid to halt an impeachment inquiry sparked intense resistance from several parties.