Impeachment row puts spotlight on Cachalia’s role to prevent instability

What Cachalia said and why it matters

In an interview with eNCA, Cachalia said that impeaching President Ramaphosa would destabilise the country and urged the African National Congress and parties in the Government of National Unity to protect the president. His remarks prompted concerns about impartiality and whether security officials are signalling protection for a sitting head of state.

Calls for neutrality and for keeping order

Governance expert Sandile Swana criticised Cachalia’s comments as politically biased, noting their long-standing association from anti-apartheid activism. Swana argued that Cachalia’s statement could be read as suggesting Ramaphosa should not face investigation or punishment and urged the minister to identify and report any instigators of potential instability to intelligence services and law enforcement.

“It is Cachalia’s job to make sure that there is no chaos if Ramaphosa is removed. He should protect the internal stability of the country,” said Swana.

The new parliamentary inquiry

Speaker Thoko Didiza has established a 31-member Section 89 Impeachment Committee to assess whether there is sufficient evidence to impeach President Ramaphosa over the Phala Phala farm matter. Political parties have until 22 May to finalise nominations for committee members. The committee’s 31 seats are distributed among 16 parties, with the ANC allocated nine seats and the DA five; smaller parties share the remaining positions.

What the committee will do (short explainer)

• The Section 89 committee will investigate the conduct of the president as referred to Parliament and determine whether there is enough evidence to proceed with impeachment.
• It will reassess findings related to the Phala Phala matter after the Constitutional Court found Parliament’s previous 2022 decision to block the inquiry unlawful.
• If the committee finds sufficient evidence, it may recommend further parliamentary action, potentially leading to an impeachment vote.

Voices on accountability versus stability

Political analyst Kim Heller said constitutional accountability cannot be labelled destabilising and that political accountability should supersede shielding elites. Heller warned Cachalia’s comments contribute to the perception that state institutions may be protecting the president rather than upholding the Constitution.

Professor Sipho Seepe added that allowing any leader to be seen as above the law sets a dangerous precedent and pointed to perceived failures in charging cases where prima facie evidence exists.

Civic group OUTA also weighed in, urging that constitutional and parliamentary processes be allowed to run their course and urging the public to respect those frameworks.

“We imagine it is this economic instability of political changes that the Acting Minister Cachalia is referring to, but we can’t be certain. What we are certain of is that no matter what the fears or concerns in this regard, the legal and parliamentary processes must proceed, and we – as a nation – cannot usurp those processes, and thus must deal with the outcomes as they happen,” said OUTA CEO Wayne Duvenhage.

What this could mean for Johannesburg and Gauteng

For residents of Johannesburg and the wider Gauteng region, the debate over impeachment and the role of security institutions raises practical questions about public order and service delivery should political tensions rise. The minister responsible for policing being publicly focused on preventing instability places extra attention on how law enforcement balances crowd management, constitutional rights and political neutrality during high-stakes parliamentary processes.

Next steps

With the Section 89 committee constituted and political parties finalising nominations, the parliamentary process to reassess the Phala Phala findings is now under way. Cachalia’s office said the minister was unavailable for immediate comment as he was preparing to table his 2026/27 budget, but his spokesperson indicated he is willing to discuss the rationale behind his remarks.

Source: This article is based on reporting by IOL.