‘No one is above the law’: EFF supporters demand Phala Phala judgment

A large and vocal crowd of EFF supporters gathered outside the Constitutional Court in Johannesburg on Wednesday, calling for the release of the long-awaited judgment in the Phala Phala matter.

The judgment stems from the case the EFF brought to the apex court, challenging the National Assembly’s decision in December 2022 not to hold an impeachment inquiry into allegations against Ramaphosa, after a burglary at his game farm, Phala Phala, in 2020.

An independent panel chaired by retired chief justice Sandile Ngcobo found that the information submitted to the panel disclosed a prima facie case that Ramaphosa may have committed serious misconduct when hundreds of thousands of US dollars were hidden in a couch in the farmhouse. Some of the money was subsequently stolen by burglars.

However, the National Assembly voted against adopting the report, which led to EFF launching the legal action. Arguments were heard in November 2024, and judgment has been reserved since.

From early morning, supporters in red berets filled Constitution Hill with struggle songs and placards, reflecting a mix of frustration, political conviction and growing public interest in the case.

EFF Gauteng communications officer Dumisani Baleni said the party would continue to put pressure on the court until the judgment is released. “We are here to demand the release of the Phala Phala judgment, which has been withheld by the court for over a year and five months,” Baleni said.

He described the delay as a “miscarriage of justice”, adding that the lack of communication from the court raises concern.

Among the crowd was Steven Malatjie, who said he joined the picket because of unanswered questions concerning the money at the centre of the scandal. “We want a judgment on Phala Phala because the public needs clarity. Money was found and it was never declared,” he said.

Malatjie said the delay was difficult to understand, especially given the seriousness of the allegations.

“We want to know what that money was about. The public deserves to know the truth,” he said, linking the issue to broader frustrations over service delivery. “People are suffering. There is no water, no electricity, but money was found in the president’s mattress. No one is above the law.”

Another supporter, Aaron Komane from Alexandra, said the protest was about demanding equal application of the law. “Money belongs in a bank, not in a private residence,” he said. “It appears the constitution is not being applied equally. If it were an ordinary citizen, they would already be behind bars.”

Komane said the EFF had consistently raised the matter and would continue to return until there is accountability. “We are here to demand transparency on why this report is being withheld. We have a right to know,” he said.

For Terence Langa, a member of the Sub-Regional Youth Interim Leadership Core (JHB F), the issue carries weight for young people.

“The law must not have eyes,” Langa said. “It must not be that when poor people commit a crime they are arrested but when it is the president, nothing happens.”

He warned that such delays risked sending the wrong message to young people about accountability.

EFF Gauteng chair Nkululeko Dunga said the party would not engage with the court unless the judgment was released. “The only acceptable form of communication is the delivery of the Phala Phala report,” Dunga said.

Meanwhile, the Constitutional Court said on Wednesday, after the picket, that the matter was at an advanced stage. In a response to EFF leader Julius Malema, the court indicated that judgment was expected within a month.

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