The African Transformation Movement (ATM) has called for fresh impeachment proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa, arguing that a damning Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) report into the Phala Phala saga has left him “irreparably compromised” and plunged the country into a “full-blown constitutional crisis”.
The party has written formally to National Assembly Speaker Thoko Didiza, asking that Parliament initiate an impeachment process linked to the alleged cover-up of the 2020 burglary at Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo.
The African Transformation Movement (ATM) is awaiting a response from Parliament Speaker Thoko Didiza after formally requesting the start of impeachment proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa.
This latest push comes despite the fact that the IPID report itself makes no direct findings against Ramaphosa. Instead, it is sharply critical of senior members of his Presidential Protection Service (PPS), particularly Major General Wally Rhoode and Constable Hlulani Rekhoto.
This follows a damning report by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) into the alleged cover-up of the Phala Phala farm theft involving members of the Presidential Protection Service.
While the report makes no findings against Ramaphosa, it is highly critical of Major General Wally Rhoode and Constable Hlulani Rekhoto, citing evidence that they breached police rules and legal obligations.
IPID found that members of the PPS allegedly flouted police procedures and legal requirements in their handling of the theft, which reportedly involved large sums of foreign currency concealed on the farm. The report details evidence of failures to open proper case dockets, to follow prescribed investigation channels and to report the matter appropriately through official structures.
For the ATM, those findings, even in the absence of a direct adverse conclusion against Ramaphosa, are enough to taint the presidency.
The ATM said the president is now irreparably compromised, describing the matter as a full-blown constitutional crisis.
ATM spokesperson Zama Ntshona said the party wants those fingered in the IPID report to be immediately suspended and brought before the criminal justice system.
ATM spokesperson Zama Ntshona said the party wants the implicated to be suspended and prosecuted.
Beyond calling for suspensions and prosecutions, the ATM wants Parliament and the intelligence oversight structures to step in urgently.
“The establishment of a parliamentary ad-hoc committee through the Portfolio Committee on Police, urgent intervention by the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence into the unlawful intelligence style of operating.”
The party argues that what happened after the Phala Phala break-in goes beyond simple misconduct and raises deep concerns about the use – or misuse – of state security and intelligence resources. It has framed the IPID report as reinforcing earlier fears that the presidential security apparatus may have operated outside the law to protect Ramaphosa from public scrutiny over the theft.
The renewed impeachment push also revives a political battle many believed had been settled in December 2022, when the National Assembly voted against adopting a report by an independent panel that found there was prima facie evidence Ramaphosa may have violated the Constitution and anti‑corruption laws in relation to Phala Phala.
In December 2022, impeachment proceedings against Ramaphosa failed after Parliament rejected a panel report that had indicated potential misconduct in the Phala Phala matter.
At the time, the ANC used its majority to block the process from moving to a full impeachment inquiry, and Ramaphosa survived one of the most serious threats to his presidency. He has consistently denied wrongdoing, insisting that the money on the farm came from a legitimate sale of game and that he did not direct any cover‑up.
The new IPID findings, however, give opposition parties like the ATM fresh ammunition to argue that, at the very least, the institutions around the president were abused in a way that undermines the rule of law – and that as head of state and of the executive, Ramaphosa ultimately bears political and constitutional responsibility.
The ATM is now effectively asking Parliament to revisit ground it has already covered, but with a different evidentiary hook: not the original allegations about undeclared foreign cash and a concealed theft, but the alleged unlawful conduct of his protectors afterwards.
Whether Speaker Didiza agrees to entertain a new impeachment bid will depend on how she assesses the ATM’s request in light of existing rules, past processes and the scope of the IPID report. She may also invite legal and procedural advice before making a decision.
If she allows the request to proceed, it could trigger the establishment of another inquiry or ad hoc committee – as the ATM itself is demanding – to consider whether Ramaphosa has violated his oath of office or constitutional obligations by virtue of what his protectors allegedly did in his name.
If she declines, opposition parties may accuse Parliament of shielding the president yet again, reinforcing their narrative of a compromised legislature unwilling to hold the executive to account.
For now, the ATM is positioning Phala Phala – and the IPID report in particular – as evidence of a deeper governance breakdown, linking alleged police misconduct, intelligence overreach and presidential accountability into a single constitutional crisis frame.
The presidency has yet to respond in detail to the ATM’s latest move, and Ramaphosa still faces no formal charges in relation to Phala Phala. But with the IPID report now in the public domain and opposition parties circling, the political fallout from the farm saga is clearly far from over – and may once again play out on the floor of the National Assembly.
