The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) on Thursday expressed disappointment in delays in the Phala Phala case, stating that it has created the impression that justice is being deferred because the matter concerns President Cyril Ramaphosa, and warning that such delays risk public confidence in the judiciary.

This followed Chief Justice Mandisa Maya’s assurance that the Constitutional Court’s judgment on Phala Phala is in its final stages and will be delivered within a month.

The EFF had written to Maya arguing that the delay exceeded normal court standards.

EFF leader Julius Malema claimed that Maya’s response was a result of sustained pressure from the party, saying that the matter was of “profound national importance”.

Malema pointed out that for months, the EFF had engaged in peaceful civil action, including consistent pickets at the Constitutional Court, to demand that the judiciary uphold its responsibility to deliver justice.

“It is precisely this sustained mass pressure, not quiet diplomacy or elite lobbying, that has forced a response from the highest office of the judiciary.

“It is, therefore, not coincidental that only after direct correspondence from the EFF did the Chief Justice indicate that the judgment may be delivered within a month,” he added.

Malema said this demonstrated that accountability in South Africa must be demanded through struggle, hitting back at civil society organisations for allegedly being silent on the matter.

“Institutions such as Corruption Watch, Helen Suzman Foundation, Nelson Mandela Foundation, Thabo Mbeki Foundation, the South African Council of Churches, Freedom Under Law, Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse and many more, have failed to raise their voices on this matter with the urgency it deserves. Their inaction exposes a selective approach to accountability, where issues are only pursued when politically convenient,” he added.

MADLANGA COMMISSION

Meanwhile, Malema called for a complete overhaul of the South African Police Service (Saps) and successful, swift prosecutions, following revelations from the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.

The party also called for the immediate dismissal of all implicated officials.

Malema noted the conclusions of the Ad Hoc Committee to investigate allegations made by Saps KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkwanazi and in the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, calling for action and reform.

The Ad Hoc Committee is currently in the final stages of its work and has not yet released a final concluding report.

The party reaffirmed its role in the fight against corruption within South Africa's law enforcement agencies, declaring that the current findings emerging from Parliament’s Ad Hoc Committee and the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry are a “vindication” of the party’s long-standing calls for accountability.

The EFF said its “consistent, principled, and uncompromising pressure” led to the creation of the Ad Hoc Committee in Parliament.

The party welcomed the recent arrests of senior police officials implicated through the Madlanga Commission process; however, Malema maintained that arrests alone were not sufficient, and demanded successful prosecutions, dismissals, and a complete overhaul of the “institutional culture” at Saps.

At the same time, the EFF condemned the continued wasteful expenditure of public funds through the ongoing remuneration of suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu.

The party said it was “irrational and unjustifiable” that South Africans were expected to fund the salary and benefits of a suspended Minister implicated in "criminal infiltration".