President Cyril Ramaphosa standing at a podium refusing to resign, with South African flag in the background.
President Cyril Ramaphosa standing at a podium refusing to resign, with South African flag in the background.
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Ramaphosa refuses to resign over Phala Phala panel report

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President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed South Africans on Monday to declare he will not resign following the Constitutional Court ruling on the Phala Phala matter. He announced plans to seek a judicial review of the independent panel report. The president maintained that he has committed no crime.

On Monday 11 May 2026, President Cyril Ramaphosa stated he would take the Section 89 panel report on review in court on an expeditious basis. He said the report contained grave flaws and relied on hearsay evidence. Ramaphosa accepted the Constitutional Court judgment from 8 May but emphasised his constitutional right to challenge the panel findings.

The court ruled that National Assembly rules on impeachment were unconstitutional. This followed challenges by the EFF and ATM over the 2022 decision not to refer the panel report to an impeachment committee. The speaker has now referred the report to such a committee for further processing.

Ramaphosa insisted he had not stolen public money or violated his oath. He said resigning would give credence to a flawed report and undermine national renewal efforts. Legal experts noted the review could take up to a year and may run alongside committee proceedings.

What people are saying

Initial reactions on X show mixed sentiments, with some users arguing the Phala Phala issue does not warrant resignation and calling it a weak case for political point-scoring, while opposition voices demand accountability through parliamentary questioning. Many posts highlight Ramaphosa's decision to seek judicial review instead of stepping down, noting the high threshold for impeachment.

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