By: David Shoombe
The South African Constitutional Court’s ruling on Friday, allowing for an enquiry into President Cyril Ramaphosa’s impeachment, is said to have tested parliamentary democracy.
In making said ruling and ordering the National Assembly to consider the 2022 report of an independent panel on the Phala Phala case, the court set precedent for the accountability of South African institutions by calling President Ramaphosa to question.
African political institutions under the African Union (AU) have been questioned about holding their heads of state accountable and delivering on their citizens’ needs, such as creating employment and reducing economic inequality.
According to the World Bank’s latest records, South Africa ranks highest in terms of economic inequality, followed by Namibia.
That said, South Africa continues to be the most industrialised country in Africa, taking centre stage in championing continental developmental frameworks such as Agenda 2063 and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
As a result, there is a link between South Africa’s political stability and trading partners including Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini.
David Smith, a governance researcher, states that the steps that South Africa will take in compliance with the Constitutional Court ruling will not only affect the South African people, but also to an extent the African people.
Smith states that “South African faces one one of the most challenging political futures, which shakes the foundation of democracy since 1994, and it it will be felt in countries such as Namibia.”
He adds that Ramaphosa stands at the centre of the Global South’s economy, which represents the economies of the African Union and BRICS.
Daniel Daniel, a political science analyst, stated that “African states shall prove themselves in the face of the world, and institutions of the states need a proper check and balance to show the world that they mean businesses.”
Daniel advised that Namibia not only gauges the political effects of the court ruling, but also how it can adjust itself economically, as South Africa remains Namibia’s primary trading partner.
Chief Justice of South Africa, Mandisa Maya, indicated that the Constitutional Court ruled that the vote by the South African Parliament in 2022 to block the adoption of the Phala Phala Report was unlawful and irrational.
As a result, reports indicate that a restructuring of government may follow, affecting trade policies and economic diplomacy arrangements.
For the past 36 years, Namibia’s economic policy has been linked to South Africa through the nations’ currency peg.
The latest Namibian monetary policy indicates that Namibia has maintained its repo rate to protect said pegging and its domestic economy.
