By: Xolani Khumalo
The office of the Public Protector South Africa says the recent Constitutional Court judgment on the Phala Phala matter does not assess, review or overturn its report, nor does it make findings on the substantive issues investigated by the institution.
The Constitutional Court of South Africa ruled that Parliament acted unlawfully in 2022 when it voted against adopting the findings of an independent Section 89 panel.
The panel had found that President Cyril Ramaphosa may have violated his oath of office through his handling of the Phala Phala farm break-in in Limpopo.
Acting spokesperson Ndili Msoki said the apex court’s judgment dealt solely with the constitutionality of Parliament’s Section 89 impeachment process and not the merits of the Public Protector’s own investigation.
Msoki added that the Public Protector’s findings remain unaffected by the ruling and that the institution continues to stand by its investigative processes and conclusions.
