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The Democratic Alliance notes today’s very serious judgment of the Constitutional Court in the Phala Phala / Section 89 matter.

We respect the Constitutional Court, the Constitution, and the rule of law. The Court has now made clear that Parliament must correct its rules, and that the Section 89 report must proceed to an impeachment committee.

This is a grave moment for Parliament, for the Presidency, and for South Africa’s constitutional democracy.

The DA will participate fully and constructively in the impeachment committee.

We will be guided by the facts, by the evidence placed before the committee, and by our constitutional duty. We will not prejudge the outcome. But nor will we allow any person, no matter how high their office, to be placed above accountability.
South Africa’s democracy rests on the simple principle that public office is a public trust.

Those who hold the highest offices in the land must be held to the highest standards of honesty, transparency and accountability.

The DA is the party of ethics, clean government and constitutionalism. Across South Africa, where the DA governs, we work every day to restore integrity in government, rebuild public trust, and show that public power must be used only in the public interest.

That is the standard we will bring to this process.

No one should expect the DA to shield wrongdoing. We will never be party to protecting misconduct, covering up corruption, or weakening accountability for political convenience.

The impeachment committee must now do its work properly, rationally, fairly and constitutionally. The President must have the opportunity to account fully.

Parliament must have the opportunity to establish the facts. And the South African people must have confidence that their institutions are acting without fear, favour or prejudice.

This judgment has implications beyond any one President. It will shape how Parliament holds all future presidents accountable. That is why the DA will approach this process with the seriousness, discipline and constitutional responsibility it demands.

This judgment also draws a clear line between the DA and the ANC. For too long, the ANC has presided over a political culture in which accountability is delayed, diluted or avoided when it becomes inconvenient.

The DA stands for a different kind of politics in which the Constitution comes before party loyalty, and no leader is shielded from answering to the people.
The DA’s position remains consistent, that accountability, constitutionalism and the rule of law must always prevail.

Issued by Geordin Hill-Lewis - Leader of the Democratic Alliance