A president can be removed from office for serious misconduct, constitutional violations, or incapacity.

On Monday, South Africa’s National Assembly began impeachment proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa, following alleged violations of anti-corruption laws related to the Phala Phala case.

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National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza appointed the 31 members of parliament after the Constitutional Court ordered the reactivation of the impeachment process under Article 89 of the South African Constitution.

The impeachment committee elected Makashule Gana, of the RISE Mzansi (RISE) party, which holds two seats in the lower house, as its chairman.

The Constitutional Court declared the December 13, 2022, vote invalid. On that occasion, the African National Congress (Ramaphosa’s party) had allegedly blocked the adoption of the independent panel’s report on the allegations.

The Constitution’s Article 89 stipulates that a president can be removed from office for serious misconduct, constitutional violations, or incapacity, thus paving the way for the committee to analyze the allegations against Ramaphosa.

The independent report stemmed from the scandal of the multimillion-dollar theft at the Phala Phala estate, which occurred on February 9, 2020, and was reported in 2022 by former intelligence chief Arthur Fraser.

Fraser accused Ramaphosa of concealing a theft of nearly US$4 million from the police and the tax authorities, and although the Presidency acknowledged the theft, it claimed the amount was US$580,000.

Ramaphosa admitted to selling game animals, claiming that the money came from that business and not from money laundering. However, the opposition accuses him of violating the Constitution by engaging in paid activities.

teleSUR: JP

Source: EFE

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