ConCourt delay slated

PHALA PHALA: CHIEF JUSTICE CITES HEAVY CASELOAD AS EFF DEMANDS RULING

- Molefe Seeletsa

Chief Justice Mandisa Maya has acknowledged that the Constitutional Court's (ConCourt) ruling in the Phala Phala matter has been delayed due to several obstacles that have slowed its work.

The case, brought by the EFF, was heard in November 2024, but the judgment has yet to be delivered.

The EFF is seeking to overturn parliament's decision not to adopt the findings of the Section 89 independent panel, which concluded that President Cyril Ramaphosa had a case to answer following the February 2020 burglary at his Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo. During the break-in, $580 000 concealed inside a couch was allegedly stolen.

Three Namibian nationals - Imanuwela David, Froliana Joseph and Ndilinasho David Joseph - are currently on trial for the burglary.

At a media briefing on Tuesday, where the judiciary released reports for the past two financial years, Maya said matters before the apex court require “intense attention” from every justice, who must sift through extensive material and multiple sets of written arguments.