Impeachment committee restarts search for evidence leader after Madonsela’s recommendation rescinded

Parliament's impeachment committee restarted its search for a new chief evidence leader after Advocate Thandazani Madonsela's recommendation was canceled due to legal review of President Cyril Ramaphosa's objection to the Phala Phala scandal. The Section 28 committee voted on Tuesday to reverse Madonsela's recommendation after the legal services provided options to confirm the appointment or rescind it.

Committee chair, Rise Mzansi's Makashule Gana, announced that the committee had given the 31 MPs from 16 political parties until Friday to submit new nominations. The nomination process was reopened, but legal services were asked to confirm the availability of previously nominated counsel. President Ramaphosa rejected Madonsela's appointment for the impeachment inquiry, citing two conflicts of interest: his removal of her from the Judicial Service Commission in 2022 and her prior role giving legal advice to the ANC on the impeachment matter.

Meanwhile, the president's review application challenging the findings of an independent section 89 panel is set for September 2-4, where the panel concluded that Ramaphosa needs to answer questions about a $580,000 theft from his Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo. Despite a Western Cape High Court's interim interdict in July, the committee continued with preparatory activities, completing over 80% of the work required to finalize the terms of reference.