Ramaphosa’s lawyer describes Impeachment Committee as political game

Advocate Wim Trengove, President Cyril Ramaphosa's legal representative, has labeled the Section 89 Impeachment Committee as a "political game." Trengove is representing Ramaphosa in his bid to have the Section 89 Independent Panel report dismissed at the Western Cape High Court. The panel report concluded there was prima facie evidence of Ramaphosa potentially breaching his oath of office through theft at his Phala Phala farm.

In court, Trengove argued that the panel's role was to determine which allegations were valid and which were not. He contended there was no evaluation of the quality of evidence presented, and that politicians may have had a political agenda. Trengove stated, "These aren't people seeking justice. They are politicians fighting a political war. And they would grasp at an opportunity of gunning for an opposition president. So, they're often driven by political reasons."

Trengove was addressing concerns over the insufficient evidence within the panel report, which has now been forwarded to the Impeachment Committee for impeachment proceedings. Ramaphosa is currently reviewing the report and seeks to have it set aside. Trengove argued that while the report cited President Ramaphosa's evidence, there was no balanced weighing of opinions. He questioned whether there was truly enough evidence against him, emphasizing that the panel's decision was based solely on incriminating evidence.