“Every president must be held accountable,” said Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema to the marchers at Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown, demanding President Cyril Ramaphosa to be accountable over the Phala Phala scandal.
The party staged a march to the apex court in Joburg concerning Parliament's decision to forego an impeachment investigation into Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala saga.
Malema led the march, joined by notable members of the party including Sinawo Tambo, Carl Niehaus, Nkululeko Dunga, Marshall Dlamini and others.
Donned in their signature red berets, shirts and overalls, they painted Joburg streets in red as they marched to the highest court, in the scorching sun.
The members flooded to the streets, chanting struggle songs, as they demanded Ramaphosa to be held accountable.
Addressing the marchers, Malema reiterated his call to Ramaphosa to face the consequences over the money saga.
“We’re going to the Constitutional Court because there’s a Phala Phala casa that the EFF brought to the President of the Republic of South Africa (referring to Ramaphosa), because R10 million was found in his sofas,” Malema said.
“The president cannot stash R10 million dollars under his sofas and he’s not punished for that. Every president must be held responsible.
“Every president must be accountable. We did the same thing with Jacob Zuma when he spent money on Nkandla. We took him to the Constitutional Court and they said he must pay back the money.
“The same thing must happen to Ramaphosa,” added Malema.
The Constitutional Court will hear arguments from the EFF on Tuesday about Parliament's decision to forego an impeachment investigation into Ramaphosa.
In a case based on the president's accountability for suspected criminal conduct, the party is taking action against Ramaphosa, the National Assembly, and the African National Congress (ANC).
Ramaphosa should be held accountable for the circumstances surrounding the February 2020 break-in at his Phala Phala game farm, according to the EFF.
The National Assembly rejected the African Transformation Movement's (ATM) motion to remove the president from office in December 2022.
The House also rejected a report by an independent panel, which was chaired by retired Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo, that concluded Ramaphosa might have violated the Constitution and needed to be held accountable for his involvement in the Phala Phala episode.
Several investigations probing whether Ramaphosa committed crimes following the Phala Phala burglary have been conducted thus far, including ones by the Reserve Bank and the Public Protector, Kholeka Gcaleka.
The Ngcobo panel's conclusions, however, represent a significant exception because, in addition to being rejected by Parliament, Ramaphosa vigorously challenged the panel's report in the Constitutional Court.
The president contended that the panel's interpretation of the facts and the charges against him were incorrect.
Even though Parliament had already rejected the impeachment proposal by that point, the Constitutional Court finally decided that the panel had overreached itself by going straight to the court.
The matter of presidential impeachment is now back before the highest court, due to the EFF's legal challenge, which might establish a significant precedent.
Beyond Ramaphosa's political repercussions, the issue might have important long-term legal significance, especially concerning the presidential impeachment procedures, which the Constitutional Court has not yet thoroughly examined.
The EFF contended that Parliament could only reject the conclusions of an independent panel on well-defined, legally valid grounds once the panel had determined there were adequate grounds for impeachment.
The criteria for holding a sitting president responsible may be reinterpreted in this circumstance, it said.
On Sunday, Malema accused Ramaphosa of corruption and warned against compromising the country’s future by tolerating the president’s unaccountability.
Malema further vowed to lead mass protests in response to the handling of Ramaphosa’s farm scandal.
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