Parliament's impeachment committee kicked for touch on Wednesday decisions on how it would run its proceedings as President Cyril Ramaphosa's testimony emerged as a key point of contestation, with political fault lines broadly between Government of National Unity coalition partners and the opposition.

With legal advice requested on whether President Cyril Ramaphosa could be compelled to testify, Parliament's impeachment committee chairperson, Rise Mzansi MP Makashule Gana, asked political parties "to confer with each other" on the terms of reference to reach consensus "and submit the agreed positions" before next week's meeting.

By then, the Western Cape high court would have ruled on Ramaphosa's interdict application for a stay in impeachment proceedings. He wants to pause the parliamentary committee until the finalisation of his bid to set aside the Section 89 report that found he had a case to answer on the forex theft from sofa cushions at his private Phala Phala game farm. The interdict judgment is expected on Friday.

FOR CONTEXT Ramaphosa pleads 'humiliation' in bid to stop impeachment inquiry in its tracks July 16, 2026 Meanwhile, in Parliament, the impeachment draft terms of reference state the President may testify, and seem to leave open the door that if he were to testify, he could choose for his testimony to be delivered by a representative. As it stands now, no adverse inference could be drawn should the President decline to testify in person.

The MK party, EFF, ActionSA, African...