That was the blunt message from Julius Malema after the Constitutional Court ruled that Parliament must establish an impeachment committee to determine whether Cyril Ramaphosa is fit to hold office over the long-running Phala Phala scandal.

Speaking outside the Constitutional Court in Braamfontein on Friday, Malema called on Ramaphosa to resign immediately following the landmark judgment delivered by Chief Justice Mandisa Maya.

The ruling overturned the National Assembly’s 2022 decision to reject findings from the Section 89 Independent Panel, which had found prima facie evidence that Ramaphosa may have violated the Constitution by failing to declare the theft of US$580,000 allegedly hidden at his Phala Phala farm and by not reporting the incident to relevant authorities.

“With this judgment, if we had a responsible president, he should be resigning,” Malema said, arguing that a sitting president cannot effectively govern while simultaneously preparing for impeachment proceedings.

The EFF leader also challenged Parliament Speaker Thoko Didiza to urgently establish the impeachment committee, while taking aim at the Democratic Alliance’s position within the Government of National Unity.

“Let us see the hands of the DA,” Malema said, questioning whether the party would still support impeachment now that it shares governance responsibilities with the ANC.

Meanwhile, the African Transformation Movement warned that Ramaphosa resigning before the process concludes could complicate efforts to hold him accountable. ATM spokesperson Zama Ntshona argued that impeachment proceedings require a sitting president and said South Africans still deserve answers about the scandal and those allegedly involved in shielding Ramaphosa from accountability.

The Democratic Alliance, through Cape Town Mayor and senior DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis, said the party respects the judgment and would not protect wrongdoing for political convenience.

ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu defended Ramaphosa, insisting that predictions of impeachment were premature and reaffirming the governing party’s confidence in the president’s leadership despite the Constitutional Court ruling reopening one of the country’s most politically damaging scandals.

This article was originally posted by IOL