South African Parliament Appoints Opposition MP Gana to Chair Ramaphosa Impeachment Inquiry as President Launches Legal Challenge

South African lawmakers elected Makashule Gana to chair a parliamentary inquiry into whether President Cyril Ramaphosa should face impeachment. The committee overseeing the probe met for the first time this week and selected Gana, an MP from the RISE Mzansi party. Gana holds a casting vote in any deadlock and has authority to summon witnesses and demand documents.

He has no documented links to Ramaphosa. The inquiry will examine Ramaphosa’s handling of the 2020 theft of foreign currency at his game farm. The Constitutional Court ordered the revival of the inquiry.

Ramaphosa launched a lawsuit last week seeking to overturn an underlying report that forms the basis of the probe. He argues the report relied on hearsay and misapplied the legal threshold for misconduct. The selection of Gana may help the ruling coalition address concerns that the African National Congress would install a loyalist to oversee a whitewash.

The process faces immediate legal challenges from the president’s court bid.