Disappointment Over Chairperson of Impeachment Committee

This Committee has been established to determine whether there are grounds for the removal of a sitting President. As one of the most significant accountability processes available to Parliament, it is essential that both the inquiry itself, and those tasked with leading it, enjoy the full confidence of the South African public.

For this reason, we called for the Chairperson to be elected from within the ranks of the opposition and not through an arrangement managed by the ANC. Our position was never about any individual candidate, but rather the constitutional principle that accountability processes must be demonstrably independent from those with a direct interest in the continuation of the current administration.

The Chairperson will play a central role in overseeing proceedings, managing hearings, ruling on procedural matters and ensuring the Committee fulfils its mandate. The election of an ANC-nominated Chairperson therefore risks creating a perception that the inquiry may not be sufficiently insulated from political considerations.

Parliament cannot afford a repeat of past failures where accountability processes were viewed as protecting executive power rather than scrutinising it. South Africans deserve confidence that this inquiry will be conducted fairly and without favour or prejudice.

While we are disappointed that the committee did not seize the opportunity to strengthen public confidence through the election of an independent Chairperson, we remain committed to participating constructively in the Committee’s work and ensuring that it fulfils its constitutional responsibility.

The ultimate test before Parliament is not whether it can protect a President, but whether it can uphold the Constitution and demonstrate that no office bearer is beyond accountability.

We will continue to advocate for a process that is credible, transparent, and worthy of the trust that South Africans place in Parliament’s constitutional oversight role.