Malema demands ruling on Ramaphosa's Phala Phala case

The EFF and the African Transformation Movement (ATM) have again accused the Constitutional Court of dragging its feet in not delivering the Phala Phala farm judgment.

The EFF approached the apex court last year after Parliament dismissed a report that found President Cyril Ramaphosa may have breached his oath of office.

That report raised serious concerns about the President’s conduct in his handling of the 2020 theft of foreign currency at his Phala Phala farm in Limpopo.

On Wednesday, during a press briefing, EFF leader Julius Malema revealed that his party has ramped up its political campaign regarding the contentious Phala Phala farm saga, asserting it as a leading issue for the party as it heads to the upcoming 2026 elections.

The party announced plans to picket outside the Constitutional Court on the first Wednesday of each month until a verdict on the matter is delivered.

On Wednesday, party members from the Gauteng regional structures gathered in front of the apex court as part of this ongoing demonstration, while Malema held a media briefing at the party’s headquarters in Johannesburg CBD.

The focus of the EFF’s campaign centres on Ramaphosa, with the party accusing him of being complicit in concealing the truth surrounding illicit dollars allegedly stored at his Phala Phala farm in 2020.

The saga resulted in a series of investigations by various institutions, including SARS and the Public Protector who exonerated the President.

However, a Section 89 independent panel, led by retired Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo, found that the President may have violated sections 96(2)(a) of the Constitution and Section 34(1) of the  Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities (PRECCA) Act in relation to the robbery at his Phala Phala game farm.

In 2022, the majority of Members of Parliament, 214, voted for the Section 89 report to be rejected and for Parliament not to proceed with an impeachment inquiry.

The EFF contended that Parliament’s refusal to adopt the report, which suggested potential misconduct by the President, was irrational and unconstitutional and took the matter all the way to the apex court in 2024.

"The Phala Phala matter is a national issue.. We will be there every first Wednesday of the month until a judgment is delivered. We have a Constitutional Court which has, for the first time, shown us this thing....It is a shame that this has happened," Malema said.

ATM leader Vuyo Zungula said that he has formally requested an update from the Registrar of the Constitutional Court regarding the delay in delivering the much-anticipated judgment.

Zungula, in a joint letter with the EFF, penned on February 3, raised questions concerning the institutional inefficiency exhibited by the court. He noted that the judgment has been reserved for over a year, emphasising that it “remains of significant public interest".

"During the hearing of this matter, judgment was and remains reserved with no indication of a possible date of delivery. This matter was and still remains of public interest. Notably, a decision on this matter will have direct and immediate implications for the constitutional obligations of the President, the National Assembly, and the very future holder of the highest executive office," Zungula said in the letter.

siyabonga.sithole@inl.co.za