President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that he will seek a judicial review of the independent panel’s report into the Phala Phala scandal and will not resign from office.
This follows the Constitutional Court ruling on Friday that ordered parliament to revive the impeachment inquiry into Ramaphosa regarding the Phala Phala scandal.
Addressing the nation on Tuesday night, Ramaphosa said his decision does not disrespect parliament but is rather out of respect for the constitutional court.
“On the basis of advice from my legal team, I have therefore decided to proceed to take the independent panel’s report on review on an expeditious basis,” he said.
The court found that the National Assembly’s previous decision to block the probe was unconstitutional, effectively forcing lawmakers to investigate allegations of serious misconduct and constitutional violations.
He added that nothing in the judgment justify impeachment and his removal as president.
“While there have been calls in some circles that I should resign, nothing in the Constitutional Court judgment compels me to resign from my office. The Constitutional Court made no finding of any kind regarding my alleged conduct.
“The court made no finding on whether there was prima facie evidence of misconduct, nor if the alleged conduct, if established, justifies impeachment and the removal of the president,” he said.
“I therefore respectfully want to make it clear that I will not resign. To do so would be to preempt a process defined by the Constitution.”
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