Pretoria – Former president Thabo Mbeki has defended President Cyril Ramaphosa over the Phala Phala farm scandal, insisting it is a private business matter and not an issue involving the ANC.
Speaking during an interview with SABC, Mbeki said Ramaphosa was acting within his rights to challenge legal processes linked to the case and supported the Constitutional Court’s intervention, which recently sent the Section 89 panel report back to Parliament, paving the way for possible impeachment proceedings.
“President Ramaphosa was correct, this is a private matter between a businessman who’s a farmer and whoever comes and buys and sells from him on his farms,” Mbeki said, adding: “It’s a private matter. It’s not an ANC matter.”
He maintained that Ramaphosa was entitled to conduct business activities, including cattle and wildlife trading, saying: “He’s not trading as an ANC businessman, it’s his own matter.”
WATCH | Former President Thabo Mbeki says the Phala Phala farm saga is a private matter, not the ANC’s matter. He adds that the Constitutional Court was correct to rule on it. pic.twitter.com/zejG5j6A65
— SABC News (@SABCNews) May 24, 2026
The Phala Phala saga stems from the theft of about $580,000 (around R9.6 million) from Ramaphosa’s Limpopo farm in 2020, allegedly linked to a cash payment by Sudanese businessman Hazim Mustafa for buffalo. The Section 89 panel previously found prima facie evidence that Ramaphosa should answer questions on the matter.
Mbeki also said Parliament must comply with the Constitutional Court ruling and allow the impeachment process to proceed. He criticised earlier parliamentary decisions that blocked the panel report, saying they were wrongly taken using the ANC majority.
“The Constitutional Court is correct,” Mbeki said, adding that Parliament should now constitute the committee and allow it to carry out its work.
Political tension
His comments come amid fresh political tension within the ANC, including reports of disagreement over comments made about him during a recent National Executive Committee meeting.
Meanwhile, Parliament is preparing to establish the Section 89 impeachment committee following the court ruling, but the process has already been delayed after the ANC missed a deadline to submit its list of representatives.
The ANC, which holds nine seats on the 31-member committee, failed to meet the 22 May deadline amid internal disagreement between senior officials over who should be deployed.
The Democratic Alliance, MK Party and EFF have already submitted their nominees.
The delay has raised concerns that the impeachment process could be stalled further, with one parliamentary source warning that delays are “not in the public interest” as the committee cannot begin its work until members are formally appointed.
Delays in the submission of names
According to Times Live, the delay stems from a clash within ANC leadership between chief whip Mdumiseni Ntuli and secretary-general Fikile Mbalula over who should be deployed to the committee.
Ntuli reportedly favoured experienced MPs who previously served on parliamentary inquiry panels, while Mbalula pushed for other party figures, including Doris Mpapane, Donald Selamolela and Boyce Maneli.
“Delays in the submission of names mean that the committee cannot be constituted and therefore cannot meet to elect a chairperson and consider a programme. Delays in such an important process are not in the public interest,” the report quoted one insider as warning.
However, the EFF has strongly rejected claims that the delay is merely the result of internal ANC disagreements. Party spokesperson Sinawo Thambo described the explanation as “dishonest” and a “deliberate political smokescreen,” arguing that the ANC is intentionally obstructing the process.
The EFF’s Statement Condemning ANC’s Deliberate Obstruction of Phala Phala Impeachment Committee
-By withholding its nominees, the ANC is deliberately undermining the implementation of Section 89 and frustrating the lawful functioning of Parliament. The ANC knows fully well… pic.twitter.com/dVDxHBWPUV
— Economic Freedom Fighters (@EFFSouthAfrica) May 24, 2026
“The real issue is not ANC infighting,” Thambo said, alleging that the governing party is withholding its nominees to “delay and frustrate the work of the committee itself” and ultimately weaken accountability efforts under Section 89 of the Constitution.
He further accused the ANC of trying to shield Ramaphosa from scrutiny over the Phala Phala matter, claiming that delays are part of a broader political strategy to undermine the impeachment process before it properly begins.
It is orchestrated. There is no reality where the ANC would fight about deployment in a committee to the point where deployment does not happen.
That has never happened in its history. They are trying to undermine and delay the impeachment process, because its composition must… https://t.co/tb5WUpHxB1
— Sinawo Thambo (@Sinawo_Thambo) May 24, 2026
Follow African Insider on Facebook, X and Instagram
For more African news, visit Africaninsider.com
Compiled by Betha Madhomu
