ANCYL backs Ramaphosa, says impeachment must wait for court ruling
ANCYL President Collen Malatji said the youth league fully supports President Cyril Ramaphosa and believes Parliament should not establish an impeachment committee until Ramaphosa’s judicial review of the Section 89 panel report is finalised.
Malatji addressed the media at Luthuli House in Johannesburg on Tuesday, where he discussed key national developments, including the Phala Phala matter.
“The strong view of the youth league is that the parliamentary process must stop until the review is finalised,” Malatji said.
He argued that Parliament should not proceed while the Section 89 report is under judicial review.
“As the youth league, we are saying Parliament must not rush. They must wait for the president to exhaust all those processes,” he said.
“If the courts later determine that the report is correct, then Parliament can proceed. But for now, they must wait for the review process to be finalised.”
Malatji said it would be inappropriate for two parallel processes to deal with the same matter simultaneously.
“Which report are you going to use if the report itself is under review?” he asked.
He added that if the courts ultimately ruled in Ramaphosa’s favour, Parliament would have no basis to continue with impeachment proceedings.
“What if the courts say the president is right? Then there will be nothing to discuss in Parliament,” he said.
Malatji also took aim at opposition parties, suggesting some may struggle to retain representation after the 2029 general election.
“Some political parties are going down. They might not even have one seat by the time we get to 2029,” he said.
His remarks followed Ramaphosa’s decision to challenge the Section 89 independent panel report after last week’s Constitutional Court judgment on the Phala Phala matter.
In an address to the nation on Monday night, Ramaphosa said he would seek a judicial review of the report, which found prima facie evidence that he may have violated his oath of office.
He described the report as flawed and said he disagreed with its findings.
Last Friday, the Constitutional Court ruled that Parliament’s handling of the Phala Phala report was unconstitutional and invalid, ordering the matter back to Parliament’s impeachment committee.
National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza confirmed on Monday that Parliament would establish an impeachment committee to consider the report.
Ramaphosa maintained that he had not stolen any money and reiterated that he would not resign despite calls from opposition parties.
Addressing questions about why the ANC’s step-aside rule does not apply to Ramaphosa, Malatji defended the president, arguing that he had not been found guilty of wrongdoing.
“The Constitutional Court judgment did not say he is guilty of anything. It dealt with the parliamentary process,” Malatji said.
“Opposition political parties are putting him on trial. The president has exercised his constitutional right to place the report under judicial review, and that right must be respected.”
Malatji contrasted Ramaphosa’s situation with that of suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, who voluntarily stepped aside in 2025 following allegations of political interference in the South African Police Service (SAPS)
Mchunu came under scrutiny after KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi alleged during a media briefing in July 2025 that Mchunu ordered the disbandment of the Political Killings Task Team without consulting national police leadership.
Mkhwanazi also alleged that Mchunu had links to criminal syndicates and controversial businessman Vusumusi ‘Cat’ Matlala.
Malatji said Mchunu had stepped aside because of concerns that he could interfere with investigations. Professor Firoz Cachalia has been appointed as acting police minister.
Although the ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) rejected his request to step aside from party duties, Mchunu later opted to take leave from his roles in both the NEC and National Working Committee (NWC) in order to address the allegations.
The ANC’s step-aside rule requires members facing serious allegations to vacate their positions, and has previously led to officials temporarily leaving office until they are cleared of wrongdoing.
“The country made a call that because the general said the minister was interfering with investigations, the president had to place him on special leave,” he said.
He also acknowledged the reputational damage suffered by the ANC.
“The image of the ANC is damaged because, for years, before the step-aside rule and renewal programme, we tolerated a lot of wrongdoing,” Malatji said.
He argued that Ramaphosa inherited the presidency during a difficult period marked by the Covid-19 pandemic and failing state-owned enterprises.
“He became president during Covid-19. He had to rebuild collapsing state-owned entities,” Malatji said.
“Eskom was collapsing and is now improving. SAA is recovering. Beneficiaries of state capture are fighting Ramaphosa because he is rooting out corruption in state-owned entities.”
Malatji said the youth league would not defend any leader found guilty of wrongdoing.
“If Ramaphosa is charged or arrested over Phala Phala, we will be the first to call for him to step down,” he said.
“But we are not going to call for a president to resign when he has not been charged with any wrongdoing.”
Political parties expressed mixed reactions following Ramaphosa’s address on Monday, with some arguing that his decision to seek a judicial review should not delay Parliament’s impeachment process.
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