Phala Phala returns to Parliament as impeachment pressure builds
The Constitutional Court ruling has forced Parliament back into the Phala Phala question, reviving pressure on President Cyril Ramaphosa and the GNU.
A scandal the Presidency could not bury
Phala Phala is back at the centre of national politics after the Constitutional Court found Parliament acted irrationally when it shut down an impeachment inquiry before the evidence had been properly tested.
The renewed process raises direct questions about accountability, the limits of party discipline and whether the Government of National Unity can survive another presidential ethics crisis.
Why it matters
Opposition parties are treating the ruling as proof that Parliament must now interrogate the 2020 foreign-currency scandal in full. Ramaphosa insists he has not been found guilty and has signalled further legal review, but the politics are moving faster than the lawyers.
What to watch
The key test is whether ANC MPs and coalition partners allow a serious inquiry, or whether the committee becomes another procedural shield. Either way, the story is no longer historical: it is a live test of executive accountability.
Sources: Al Jazeera, News24, EWN and Bloomberg reporting published between 9 and 15 May 2026.
Senior political correspondent covering Parliament and the Presidency. 12 years in investigative journalism.