‘Ramaphosa is wasting time’: Hlophe blasts impeachment court bid

Hlophe

Cape Town – uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party parliamentary leader Dr John Hlophe has dismissed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s urgent court application to halt Parliament’s impeachment process, describing it as a “waste of the court’s time.”

Speaking outside the Western Cape High Court, Hlophe argued that Ramaphosa cannot stop an inquiry ordered by the Constitutional Court.

“We believe Ramaphosa is wasting time. He can’t interdict an inquiry directed by the apex court. There is no further appeal,” Hlophe said.

Ramaphosa is seeking to suspend Parliament’s Section 89 impeachment process while he reviews the independent panel’s findings that he has a prima facie case to answer over the Phala Phala scandal.

The MK Party, African Transformation Movement (ATM) and United Africans Transformation (UAT) are opposing the application.

ATM MP Vuyo Zungula argued that Ramaphosa’s concerns about reputational damage should not override Parliament’s constitutional duty to hold the President accountable.

“You can’t then elevate the perceived reputational harm of a President over the constitutional obligation of Parliament to hold him accountable,” Zungula said.

Article written by