High Court grants Ramaphosa interdict to pause Phala Phala impeachment committee

The Western Cape High Court in Cape Town has granted President Cyril Ramaphosa an interdict to prevent Parliament’s impeachment committee on the Phala Phala matter from proceeding while his separate court challenge is unresolved.

Judgment and legal context

The High Court delivered its ruling on 24 July 2026 after two days of argument heard last week before Judges André le Grange, Matthew Francis and Diane Davis. The interdict pauses the committee’s work until the court decides Ramaphosa’s review challenge to the Section 89 independent panel’s report.

Why Ramaphosa sought the interdict

Ramaphosa asked the court to stop the start of the impeachment inquiry on the basis that the committee could begin its work before a ruling on the validity of the panel’s findings is given. His legal team argued that proceeding without the interdict would cause the president

“irrefutable harm”

.

What the panel found and the wider procedural history

The Section 89 independent panel concluded that Ramaphosa has questions to answer regarding the theft of approximately $580,000 (about R9.6 million) from his Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo in February 2020. Ramaphosa is seeking to overturn those findings through a review application.

The legal challenge follows a Constitutional Court ruling in May 2026 that Parliament acted unlawfully when it blocked impeachment proceedings in December 2022, after which the National Assembly was compelled to establish a formal impeachment committee.

The impeachment committee

The committee is composed of 31 MPs from 16 political parties and is chaired by Makashule Gana, Rise Mzansi’s chief organiser.

Next steps

Ramaphosa’s review application is scheduled to be heard by the High Court between 2 and 4 September 2026. The matter is ongoing and developments are expected as the legal process continues.