Thousands of Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) supporters marched to the Constitutional Court in Braamfontein on Friday, accusing the apex court of deliberately shielding President Cyril Ramaphosa by delaying judgment in the long-running Phala Phala matter.
The red berets are demanding the immediate release of the court’s ruling on their 2024 application, which challenges Parliament’s rejection of a Section 89 panel report that found prima facie evidence of serious misconduct by Ramaphosa following the 2020 theft of large sums of foreign currency from his Phala Phala game farm.
The Constitutional Court heard arguments on 28 November 2024 – exactly one year ago today – but has yet to deliver judgment, prompting the EFF to accuse the court of “illiteracy, incompetence, or deliberate political intervention”.
The Section 89 panel, appointed in 2022 and led by retired Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo, concluded that Ramaphosa may have violated his oath of office and exposed himself to a conflict of interest. In December 2022, the African National Congress (ANC) used its then-majority in the National Assembly to vote against adopting the report, effectively blocking impeachment proceedings.
The EFF argues that Parliament’s rejection was unconstitutional and irrational, as it undermined the legislature’s obligation to hold the executive accountable.
Friday’s march, which started at Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown, saw EFF leaders including deputy president Leigh-Ann Mathys (Maotwe) and supporters chanting “Phala Phala must fall” and carrying placards reading “Release the judgment now” and “No one is above the law”.
The delay in the Constitutional Court’s ruling is one of the longest in recent high-profile political cases, intensifying opposition claims of institutional protection for the president.
