CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA — South African Parliament is set to review and consider new rules regarding Section 89 impeachment processes, a move mandated by a recent Constitutional Court judgment. The legislative body will debate the National Assembly Rules Committee’s fifth report to ensure compliance with the court’s directive to fix unconstitutional elements of its inquiry procedures.
The legislative overhaul is directly tied to the broader context of the Phala Phala matter and the ongoing impeachment processes against President Cyril Ramaphosa. In May, the Constitutional Court ruled that Parliament had not acted appropriately, declaring specific parts of its Section 89 impeachment framework unconstitutional and invalid. This landmark ruling necessitated an immediate review of the rules by the legislature to ensure future inquiries are legally sound.
The National Assembly is scheduled to convene at 10:00 a.m., with the consideration of the rules committee report listed as the fifth item on the agenda following preliminary debates. The proposed framework was finalized by the committee on the 19th of last week after extensive technical deliberations by a dedicated sub-committee.
The development of the revised rules involved comprehensive input from Parliament’s legal teams and proposals from various political parties to ensure a robust and legally compliant framework. The Rules Committee, which oversaw the finalization of the report, is chaired by National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza. The finalized report is now officially tabled before the National Assembly for formal consideration and debate by political parties in the house.
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