President Cyril Ramaphosa is contesting efforts to impeach him. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa was never intended to protect those in power from scrutiny, the writer states.
There comes a moment in every constitutional democracy when the issue before the nation is no longer about the individual occupying the highest office but about the integrity of the institutions designed to hold that office accountable.
South Africa may well be confronting such a moment. If the president of the Republic seeks judicial intervention to halt Parliament from investigating allegations that he may have breached the Constitution, arguing that the continuation of such proceedings would cause irreparable reputational damage and public humiliation, then the country is confronted with a question far greater than the fortunes of any one political leader.
The real issue is this: can the personal interests of a president outweigh Parliament's constitutional obligation to hold the executive accountable?
Our Constitution answers that question emphatically. It cannot.
