President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that he will not resign following the recent Constitutional Court judgment on the Section 89 impeachment process, saying he intends to challenge the findings of the independent panel report linked to the Phala Phala scandal.
Addressing the nation from the Union Buildings in Tshwane on Monday evening, Ramaphosa said the Constitutional Court ruling did not compel him to step down and made no findings regarding his alleged conduct.
The President’s address follows last week’s landmark judgment by the Constitutional Court of South Africa, which ruled that aspects of the National Assembly’s Section 89 impeachment rules were unconstitutional and ordered that the independent panel report into the Phala Phala matter be referred to Parliament’s impeachment committee.
Ramaphosa acknowledged that the judgment had generated uncertainty and political debate across the country, but said he remained committed to the Constitution, judicial independence and the rule of law.
“I accept and respect the Constitutional Court’s ruling,” he said.
The President confirmed that he would launch an expedited judicial review of the independent panel’s report, arguing that he believes the report is legally and factually flawed.
Ramaphosa said the independent panel, appointed by Parliament in 2022, had relied on what he described as “hearsay allegations” and reached conclusions unsupported by sufficient evidence.
The panel had found prima facie evidence that Ramaphosa may have committed serious misconduct and violated the Constitution in connection with the theft of foreign currency from his Phala Phala farm in Limpopo in February 2020.
Parliament subsequently voted against proceeding with an impeachment inquiry in December 2022, but the Constitutional Court has now set that decision aside and ordered the matter to proceed to an impeachment committee.
Ramaphosa argued that the Constitutional Court itself recognised the right to challenge the panel report through judicial review, saying this formed the basis of his decision to return to court.
“I therefore respectfully want to make it clear that I will not resign,” Ramaphosa said.
“To do so would be to pre-empt a process defined by the Constitution.”
The President insisted that no court or investigative body had found him guilty of misconduct, nor had the Constitutional Court made any determination regarding whether the allegations justified impeachment.
Ramaphosa said resigning now would undermine efforts to rebuild state institutions and fight corruption, which he described as central to his administration’s renewal agenda since taking office eight years ago.
He highlighted ongoing anti-corruption initiatives, including the implementation of recommendations from the State Capture Commission and efforts to combat organised crime and corruption within law enforcement agencies.
The President also stressed the importance of political stability amid global economic turbulence, saying government remained focused on economic recovery, job creation and institutional reform.
Opposition parties and some civil society organisations have intensified calls for Ramaphosa to step down following the Constitutional Court judgment, while his supporters argue that due legal processes must be allowed to run their course.
The matter is now expected to move simultaneously through Parliament’s impeachment structures and the courts, setting the stage for a major constitutional and political battle in the months ahead.
