Our Viewpoint | Impeachment committee
'The MK Party, EFF and other parties in the so-called progressive caucus have made no secret of their desire to see him removed from office."
The election of Rise Mzansi MP Makashule Gana as chairperson of Parliament’s Phala Phala impeachment committee may prove to be the most important decision made before a single witness is called or a single document scrutinised. South Africa is entering dangerous political terrain.
With a watershed national election less than six months away, the impeachment inquiry into President Cyril Ramaphosa arrives at a moment when political tensions are already running high. The temptation for some parties to turn the process into a political blood sport will be immense.
Ramaphosa is not merely a sitting president. He is also a deeply contested figure within his own movement and the principal political adversary of former president Jacob Zuma and his allies.
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The MK Party, EFF and other parties in the so-called progressive caucus have made no secret of their desire to see him removed from office. For them, the impeachment process presents a political opportunity of historic proportions.
That is why Parliament was correct to elect a moderate figure from outside the major GNU parties to lead the inquiry. Gana secured support from the ANC, DA, IFP and FF Plus, while his opponent was backed by parties aligned to the progressive caucus.
The result suggests a recognition that the committee must be insulated from factional agendas and political theatre. As Rise Mzansi president Songezo Zibi noted, South Africans should expect the committee to conduct its work “with dignity”.
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Gana himself has warned against the process becoming a spectacle. The Constitutional Court did not find Ramaphosa guilty of any wrongdoing. Nor did it determine whether there is a prima facie case against him.
It found that Parliament followed a flawed process when dealing with the recommendations of the Section 89 panel. The court ordered that a proper impeachment committee be established.
This inquiry carries profound consequences not only for Ramaphosa, but for Parliament, the government of national unity and the country’s constitutional order. It must be conducted with restraint, fairness and unwavering respect for due process. This is not the Roman Colosseum. It is a test of South Africa’s democracy.
