President Cyril Ramaphosa has been accused of undermining his anti-corruption stance following his move to block the impeachment committee from proceeding with its inquiry.
Activists and Citizens Forum spokesperson Dennis Bloem said Ramaphosa’s decision to apply for an interdict to halt the impeachment process is in direct contradiction with his promises to fight corruption.
This comes after Ramaphosa on Friday filed an urgent application in the Western Cape High Court, arguing that the impeachment committee should not commence its proceedings until a separate court challenge regarding the Section 89 Independent Panel was finalised.
The report found that there was prima facie evidence that Ramaphosa may have committed serious violations of the Constitution and anti-corruption laws regarding the 2020 theft at his Phala Phala farm.
Ramaphosa stated that allowing an inquiry to move forward based on a report with its legal validity in dispute would cause irreparable political and reputational harm.
He added that under National Assembly rules, he had a right not to face impeachment unless preceded by a lawful and valid independent report.
This was after Ramaphosa filed papers in the Western Cape High Court seeking to review, declare unlawful and set aside the panel report.
The hearing was scheduled to take place from September 2 to 4.
“The question is why does President Ramaphosa want to stop the impeachment committee from proceeding with its work? What is it that he wants to hide? It is very clear there is definitely something serious that the President wants to hide,” said Bloem.
Ramaphosa’s urgent filing followed the recent Constitutional Court (ConCourt) ruling, which found that Parliament’s 2022 vote to block the inquiry was unlawful.
The ruling forced the National Assembly to establish a 31-member impeachment committee.
Ramaphosa made stamping out government corruption and ending the “state capture” era a cornerstone of his political platform both his initial rise to the ANC leadership in 2017 and ahead of the 2019 general elections.
He repeatedly vowed to dismantle the networks of “state capture”, clean up state-owned enterprises and hold corrupt officials accountable.
Bloem said Ramaphosa had turned against his own words and promises.
“His decision to run to court and apply for an interdict to halt the impeachment process in Parliament is in direct contradiction with those promises. This is the very same person who promised the people of the country that he will fight corruption with everything in his power when he is elected President of the country,” said Bloem, adding that Ramaphosa even coined the “Thuma Mina” speech he delivered in Parliament after his election as President.
The injunction served as a call for active citizen participation and renewal, specifically to cure the country of the “corrosive effects of corruption” and state capture.
Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya did not respond at the time of this publication.
Political analyst Professor Ntsikelelo Breakfast also said Ramaphosa’s conduct was a contradiction of his promise of transparency and good governance, adding that he wants to put the matter on hold permanently so he does not account.
“I don’t think he initiated that legal action in good faith. That report was handed over to Parliament in 2022 and he did not take legal action against that report? He knew he was going to get political backing. He knew there were political dynamics around this matter and thought the matter would die a natural death,” he said.
Another political analyst Professor Andre Duvenhage said there were grounds to argue that Ramaphosa was following a “Stalingrad” strategy.
Duvenhage added the other perspective was that he was undermining the oversight function of the legislature in terms of the executive authority.
Meanwhile, the EFF and the African Transformation Movement (ATM) have indicated their intention to oppose Ramaphosa’s application.
The EFF stated that the ConCourt’s recent ruling unequivocally mandated Parliament to establish an impeachment committee, and a pending review does not automatically suspend these parliamentary procedures.
Labelling Ramaphosa’s application as a delaying tactic, ATM has requested that the High Court hear the matter on an expedited basis during the week of June 22, 2026, to avoid stalling the accountability process.
