Court ruling doesn’t nullify Phala Phala findings: Public Protector

Public Protector South Africa Adv. Kholeka Gcaleka speaks at the Public Protector South Africa’s (PPSA) 30th anniversary conference October 16, 2025.

The Public Protector’s Office says the Constitutional Court’s decision on the Phala Phala matter does not nullify its own findings.

The Court has found that the directives governing Parliament’s impeachment process were unconstitutional.

Parliament had rejected the Section 89 independent panel’s report, which found prima facie evidence of a case to answer against President Cyril Ramaphosa.

This is regarding foreign currency stolen from a couch on his Phala Phala farm in 2020.

Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka cleared Ramaphosa of any wrongdoing, finding that the allegations of improper conduct were not substantiated.

Gcaleka’s Spokesperson, Ndili Msoki, says, “The Constitutional Court did not deal with or consider or review or make any findings on our report. The ConCourt judgment deals with the process of the National Assembly, while our report deals with violations of the Executive Members’ Ethics Act and the Public Protector Act. So the ConCourt judgement doesn’t undermine or qualify or interact with in any way.”