Phala Phala: Court bid says Ramaphosa had no right to block Madonsela
The African Legal Professionals Association has filed a court application challenging President Cyril Ramaphosa's attempt to block the appointment of Advocate Thandazani Madonsela as the evidence leader for his impeachment committee. This follows a similar legal challenge by the EFF, as the committee remains stalled by ongoing litigation regarding the Phala Phala farm theft scandal.
Why it matters
The case highlights ongoing constitutional tensions regarding presidential accountability and the independence of parliamentary oversight processes in South Africa.
President Cyril Ramaphosa had no legal right to object to the advocate Parliament's impeachment committee had recommended to lead evidence against him, according to an urgent application filed in the Western Cape High Court.
The application seeks to overturn the committee's decision, taken last week , to withdraw its recommendation of Advocate Thandazani Madonsela SC as chief evidence leader.
The African Legal Professionals Association, or ALPA, filed the application on Tuesday, asking the court to declare the decision unconstitutional, unlawful and invalid.
The application is the second brought against the committee over the same decision, after the EFF filed its own urgent bid on Monday to have Madonsela reinstated.
ALPA’s court papers, seen by IOL , ask that any decision to call for new nominations or to select, recommend or appoint another evidence leader be set aside, and that the matter be returned to the committee.
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