Ramaphosa asks court to pause impeachment committee until after September

President Cyril Ramaphosa has filed court papers seeking to halt the work of Parliament’s impeachment committee until after September, asking the Western Cape High Court to interdict National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza and Impeachment Committee Chairperson Makashule Gana from commencing the inquiry.

What Ramaphosa has asked the court to do

In papers filed on Friday, Ramaphosa asks the court to bar the Speaker and the committee chairperson from starting the impeachment inquiry pending the decision on his review application of the Independent Panel report. His attorney also wrote to Didiza and Gana requesting that the inquiry be stayed until the review application has been determined.

Parliament and committee responses

Didiza told Ramaphosa that parliamentary committees determine their own working arrangements and agenda. The State Attorney, acting for Gana, advised that Ramaphosa’s request was refused because the committee was continuing with preparations for the inquiry.

Ramaphosa’s papers state that the Speaker and the other respondents have eight days from receipt of the notice to indicate if they will oppose the application.

Court timetable and urgency

The papers say a case management meeting was held on 4 June 2026 to set a timeline for the review of the Independent Panel’s report. The meeting was chaired by Judge Nathan Erasmus, who, according to the papers, directed that the matter will be heard from 2 to 4 September 2026.

Ramaphosa says he has instituted the application because there is a possibility the impeachment committee will begin hearings before the court has decided the review application, which he says could materially undermine the effectiveness of the review.

“I, unfortunately, have no option but to institute the current application. This is because there is a possibility, and in fact a likelihood, that the Impeachment Committee will begin the impeachment hearings before the court has made a decision on the review application.”

He told the court there was no satisfactory alternative remedy after being informed that his legal challenge did not automatically suspend the impeachment enquiry.

Rule cited and failed attempts to persuade committee

Ramaphosa’s papers cite Rule 164 of the Rules of the National Assembly, saying the rule permits a committee chairperson to interrupt or suspend proceedings and to change the date for resumption of business, and that only a court order can preserve the status quo pending the review.

He said he tried to persuade the Speaker and the chairperson that while preliminary steps should continue, the enquiry itself should not commence until the review application has been determined, but those attempts were not successful.

Official comments and political reactions

Parliament Spokesperson Moloto Mothapo said:

“The Speaker has received the papers and is applying her mind to their contents. An appropriate response will be determined in due course.”

Gana said:

“We have received the interdict papers from President Ramaphosa’s lawyers seeking to interdict the work of the impeachment committee. Our lawyers are studying the court papers, and we will comment after. We do have a committee meeting scheduled for the 24th of June 2026.”

The IOL report also records that the EFF said the interdict application confirmed Ramaphosa would exhaust every legal and political avenue to delay accountability and avoid facing the inquiry. The ATM advised Ramaphosa’s legal team that it was opposing the urgent application and said one day should be sufficient for the hearing.

Next steps

The court timetable set the review hearing for early September, and Parliament has indicated it will respond to the interdict papers in due course. The impeachment committee has a meeting scheduled for 24 June 2026.