South Africa's parliamentary impeachment committee has voted to oppose a legal challenge brought by the Economic Freedom Fighters, according to enca.com. The committee met on Wednesday, 9 September 2026, and decided to contest the EFF's litigation rather than step aside from it.
The dispute centres on the committee's evidence leader, the official tasked with gathering and presenting evidence in the proceedings. The EFF has taken the matter to court, and the committee's vote means it will defend its position in that case, enca.com reports.
Separately, the committee has held off on considering further nominations for the evidence leader post, according to ewn.co.za. That leaves the appointment of a new evidence leader on hold, enca.com reports, while the legal challenge proceeds.
Coverage of the litigation has linked it to the Phala Phala matter. News24, as cited in the reporting, described arguments in the latest legal action as involving claims of bad faith and abuse of process, though the material available does not set out the full details of those arguments.
The committee's decision to oppose the challenge, and its pause on the evidence leader nomination, mean both questions now sit partly with the courts. What happens next depends on how the legal challenge is handled and whether the committee resumes its work on appointing an evidence leader once that process moves forward.
