Build One South Africa (BOSA) leader, Mmusi Maimane, has officially availed himself to chair the newly formed 31-member parliamentary committee set to consider the possible impeachment of President Cyril Ramaphosa.

According to a report by the Sunday Times, Maimane’s willingness to steer the high-stakes inquiry comes amid an intense drive by opposition political parties to block the African National Congress (ANC) from taking control of the process.

The committee is scheduled to meet for the first time to elect a chairperson and establish the roadmap for investigating the 2020 Phala Phala game farm scandal.

According to The Sunday Times opposition formations are actively leveraging their superior numbers to ensure the probe into the theft of over 580 000 US dollars (around R9.8 million at the time) remains strictly independent of executive influence.

Maimane confirmed that multiple opposition parties have already approached him to lead the multi-party panel, citing his position outside the Government of National Unity (GUN) as a key advantage.

“I have been approached by a number of political parties who have said: ‘Look, you are outside of the GNU, you have got the legal integrity, would you be available to chair this committee?’” Maimane revealed.

“And I have said yes, I am available,” he added.

The ANC finds itself in a highly vulnerable legislative position - holding a mere nine seats on the 31-member panel. The remaining 22 seats are held by opposition benches, stripping the ANC of the absolute majority it historically relied on to shield its leadership.

Furthermore, the ANC intends to nominate former deputy chief whip, Doris Mpapane, who currently chairs the portfolio committee on the Presidency.

However, opposition leaders are fiercely lobbying for a non-GNU candidate to guarantee public credibility and legal impartiality, according to The Sunday Times.

Compounding the ANC’s dilemma is the cautious stance of its primary coalition partner, the Democratic Alliance (DA), which holds five seats on the panel.

DA leaders are believed to be quite hesitant to claim the chairmanship themselves, fearing that leading the impeachment process could create a conflict of interest and destabilise the national coalition if adverse findings are made.

Meanwhile, smaller political formations are digging in their heels to ensure GNU partners do not compromise the integrity of the constitutional process.

African Transformation Movement (ATM) leader, Vuyo Zungula, whose party initiated the Ramaphosa’s impeachment calls, strongly backed the exclusion of all executive-aligned parties from the registry of potential chairs.

“The issue of Phala Phala is a parliamentary process, it's not a GNU process. The focus must be on restoring parliamentary oversight,” Zungula said, as quoted by The Sunday Times.

As the critical vote approaches, the ANC faces a daunting battle to protect its Ramaphosa within a fragmented parliamentary landscape it no longer controls.