In Conversation With Zama Ntshona-National Spokesperson
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The African Transformation Movement (ATM) says it will urgently approach the Constitutional Court to seek clarity on the implementation of the Section 89 impeachment process following a recent Western Cape High Court ruling involving President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The move comes after the High Court granted President Ramaphosa an interim interdict preventing Parliament from proceeding with public hearings into the Section 89 impeachment inquiry linked to the Phala Phala matter. While the President argued that the hearings should be paused pending further legal processes, the judgment included a dissenting opinion, with one judge finding that the requirements for interim relief had not been met.
The ATM argues that the ruling has created constitutional uncertainty, particularly because the Constitutional Court had previously directed Parliament to proceed with the Section 89 process after the Independent Panel’s report was referred to the National Assembly. The party wants the country’s highest court to clarify whether one of its orders can effectively be suspended by a lower court through an interim interdict.
The move comes after the High Court granted President Ramaphosa an interim interdict preventing Parliament from proceeding with public hearings into the Section 89 impeachment inquiry linked to the Phala Phala matter. While the President argued that the hearings should be paused pending further legal processes, the judgment included a dissenting opinion, with one judge finding that the requirements for interim relief had not been met.
The ATM argues that the ruling has created constitutional uncertainty, particularly because the Constitutional Court had previously directed Parliament to proceed with the Section 89 process after the Independent Panel’s report was referred to the National Assembly. The party wants the country’s highest court to clarify whether one of its orders can effectively be suspended by a lower court through an interim interdict.
