President Cyril Ramaphosa has raised an objection to the appointment of Advocate Thandazani Madonsela as the evidence leader for Parliament’s Section 89 Impeachment Committee.
The committee’s majority voted two weeks ago to recommend Madonsela for the position. Nine MPs supported his appointment, while seven voted in favour of Advocate Kate Hofmeyr SC. A further 11 members abstained.
Committee chairperson Makashule Gana has confirmed that Ramaphosa’s office submitted a letter on Tuesday formally objecting to Madonsela’s appointment.
Gana says the committee is reviewing the President’s concerns and consulting its legal services on how to proceed.
“We are currently studying the contents and consulting with legal services to see the options available to us in terms of how best to respond to this,” Gana said.
He added that the committee wants an evidence leader appointed and confirmed as soon as possible.
In his letter, Ramaphosa argues that Madonsela could face a potential conflict of interest. The President cited his previous decision to remove Madonsela from the Judicial Service Commission in 2022.
Ramaphosa also raised concerns over Madonsela’s recent work advising the African National Congress on matters related to the impeachment inquiry. He says this could mean the advocate has prior knowledge of issues that may come before the committee.
The Section 89 Committee is investigating allegations arising from the Phala Phala farm scandal.
The development comes after the Western Cape High Court last month granted Ramaphosa an urgent interdict temporarily halting public hearings by the committee.