# South African presidential impeachment inquiry > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/south-african-presidential-impeachment-inquiry > Updated: 2026-09-09T04:00:00.000Z. Sources: 3. Developments: 2. The South African Parliamentary Section 89 impeachment committee, investigating whether President Cyril Ramaphosa should be removed from office following the Phala Phala scandal, has faced significant procedural disputes regarding its leadership. Initially, Advocate Thandazani Madonsela SC rejected objections from President Ramaphosa concerning his appointment as evidence leader. The President had raised concerns of a potential conflict of interest, citing Madonsela’s previous legal advice to the African National Congress (ANC) and his removal as a presidential designee to the Judicial Service Commission in 2022. Madonsela argued these concerns were unfounded, maintaining that the principles of recusal do not apply to an evidence leader as the role does not decide the final outcome. Following these disputes, the committee voted 19 to nine to rescind Madonsela’s appointment and to oppose two court applications seeking to overturn that decision. The African Legal Professionals Association (ALPA) filed an urgent application with the Western Cape High Court, alleging that the President’s objection constituted “legal overreach.” The committee has agreed to delay appointing a replacement evidence leader until these legal challenges are resolved. ## Timeline ### 2026-09-09: South African impeachment committee to oppose court challenges South Africa’s impeachment committee will oppose court challenges to its decision to remove Advocate Madonsela as evidence leader in the investigation into President Cyril Ramaphosa. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/south-african-impeachment-committee-to-oppose-court-challenges ### 2026-08-19: Thandazani Madonsela rejects Ramaphosa’s impeachment committee objections Advocate Thandazani Madonsela SC has rejected President Cyril Ramaphosa’s claims of a conflict of interest regarding his role as evidence leader for the Parliamentary Impeachment Committee. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/thandazani-madonsela-rejects-ramaphosas-impeachment-committee-objections --- Cite as: South African presidential impeachment inquiry. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/south-african-presidential-impeachment-inquiry