Economic Freedom Fighters Defend Monthly Constitutional Court Pickets Over Delayed Phala Phala Farm Theft Judgment

EFF defends its monthly protests at the Constitutional Court. Learn why the party is demanding the release of the Phala Phala judgment against Cyril Ramaphosa.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 11, 2026, 8:07 AM EDT

Source: The information in this article was sourced from EWN

Public Demonstrations Over Judicial Delays in Presidential Scrutiny

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have initiated a sustained protest campaign outside the Constitutional Court in Johannesburg to demand the immediate release of a long-awaited judgment. The legal matter at the heart of the protest involves a parliamentary report that initially suggested President Cyril Ramaphosa may have violated the South African Constitution. The party escalated the issue to the apex court last year after Parliament voted to dismiss the findings of the Section 89 independent panel. According to party representatives, the continued silence from the court has necessitated a monthly picketing schedule to ensure the matter remains in the public consciousness.

The Origins of the Phala Phala Farm Currency Controversy

The legal battle stems from a 2020 incident involving the theft of large sums of foreign currency from President Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm in Limpopo. While the theft was not initially disclosed to the public, it became a national scandal that led to an independent parliamentary inquiry. That inquiry produced a report suggesting there was prima facie evidence that the President might have committed a serious violation of the law. However, the subsequent parliamentary dismissal of that report prompted the EFF to seek judicial intervention, arguing that the legislative body failed in its duty to hold the executive branch accountable.

Denial of Electioneering Motives Amid Political Pressure

Spokespersons for the EFF’s Gauteng wing have explicitly denied that the march on Wednesday was an "electioneering ploy" designed to gain favor before local polls. Dumisani Baleni, the Gauteng EFF spokesperson, asserted that the protests are a principled stand focused on the functionality of democratic institutions. The party argues that if the highest court in the land cannot be pressured to deliver timely judgments on the conduct of the head of state, the entire structure of accountability for lower-level officials is compromised. According to Baleni, the matter is not a personal vendetta against the President but a necessary step to prevent the normalization of a "broken society" where leaders are above the law.