DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis has claimed there are calls emerging from both the ANC and parts of the private sector to back President Cyril Ramaphosa, irrespective of what an impeachment committee may ultimately conclude in relation to the Phala Phala matter.
His remarks come in the wake of a significant ruling by the Constitutional Court (ConCourt), which found that Parliament acted irrationally in December 2022 when it blocked the referral of a Section 89 panel report.
The ConCourt set aside that decision and ordered the National Assembly to establish an impeachment committee.
The apex court also invalidated Rule 129I of the National Assembly rules, which governs how a president may be removed from office under Section 89 of the constitution.
The panel in question had previously determined that Ramaphosa may have a case to answer regarding the alleged theft of about $580 000 (approximately R9.6 million) from his Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo in February 2020.
DA leader reaffirms party’s stance
In an interview with Radio 702 on Monday, 11 May 2026, Hill-Lewis made it clear that his party would not “turn a blind eye” to any adverse findings against Ramaphosa.
“We cannot do that. We have to re-establish the principle of integrity and accountability in the state.
“Otherwise, we may get a small life extension to this government and this president, but we lose our soul as a country – and we have no prospect of rebuilding competence and integrity in the state if we are prepared to compromise it so spectacularly and so plainly and blatantly,” the Cape Town mayor said.
Hill-Lewis expressed surprise that the ANC, along with some figures in the private sector, had allegedly urged him and the DA to support Ramaphosa no matter the outcome.
“[The call came] mainly from inside the ANC, unsurprisingly, and some from inside business as well.
“I suppose neither of those constituencies is surprising, but still, I am surprised to be honest.”
Parliament sets out impeachment process
Meanwhile, National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza on Monday outlined a six-step process and confirmed that the Section 89 panel’s report would be sent to the relevant committee in accordance with the National Assembly’s rules.
“The speaker will further refer the judgment of the Constitutional Court to the impeachment committee for its consideration and guidance in the execution of its constitutional and procedural responsibilities,” Parliament’s statement reads.
“The speaker will determine the appropriate programme, procedural arrangements, timeframes and institutional support measures necessary to enable the impeachment committee to undertake and finalise its work effectively, fairly and within the framework of the Constitution and the rules of the National Assembly,” Parliament spokesperson Moloto Mothapo concluded.
Once the impeachment committee concludes its work, its report must be tabled in the National Assembly for urgent debate.
If the committee recommends removal, Parliament must vote on the matter.
A president is removed from office if at least two-thirds (267 votes) of the 400 MPs in the National Assembly support the recommendation.
EFF criticises potential legal challenge
Meanwhile, the EFF has criticised reports that Ramaphosa is planning to take the Section 89 panel’s report on review, calling the claims a “desperate litigation strategy”.
“If Ramaphosa truly believed that the independent panel report was fundamentally defective, irrational or unlawful, he would have pursued his review application to finality in 2022 and 2023.
“Instead, he opportunistically withdrew the matter once he believed the ANC’s parliamentary majority had permanently buried the report,” the party’s statement read.
