IMPEACHMENT Q&A: Makashule Gana — the man with President Ramaphosa’s head in his hands

Rise Mzansi MP Makashule Gana will chair the impeachment committee that will decide President Cyril Ramaphosa’s future.

Here’s an MP with the future in his hands: Rise Mzansi’s Makashule Gana, who was on Monday elected as chairperson of Parliament’s Section 89 impeachment committee.

The members of the committee include some of Parliament’s most robust MPs, including EFF leader Julius Malema; the new DA chief whip, Glynnis Breytenbach and its parliamentary leader, George Michalakis; the leader of MK and the official opposition, John Hlophe; the Build One SA leader, Mmusi Maimane; and ActionSA’s Lerato Ngobeni.

Gana will have his work cut out for him. We asked him how he will run things.

Question: How do you feel being the man with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s head in your hands?

Answer: It’s a responsibility I accept with both hands. I have the task of ensuring the work proceeds without fear, favour or prejudice in open participation by MPs and witnesses. The rules we will come up with must restore trust in Parliament.

Q: You’ve held quite a few challenging roles in your time as a political leader. Is this the biggest? [Gana is a seasoned political leader who left the DA after holding numerous roles to join Rise Mzansi in 2024. He started his political career in the student movement Sasco and early ANC structures.]

A: I have just been elected and have not yet carried the load, so can’t say. I have completed the Comrades Marathon, and I am fit for the role. Working with the team in Parliament, we will produce a report that South Africans will feel represented by.

Q. What’s at stake here? Rise Mzansi leader Songezo Zibi said the task required seriousness and solemnity. Why those two specific words?

A: The committee must not be used for political grandstanding. The report must show we take the people of SA seriously. It is the first impeachment committee, so it lays the ground for the future. It’s foundational work.

In my language, it’s not just making noise. Mintirho ya Vulavula.

Q: What will your first reaction be if legal papers thump down on your desk: the President’s been advised to interdict the commission’s proceedings?

A: I said when I accepted the election, we will focus on the things that are in the control of Parliament. If the courts make a determination, we will respect the court’s decision. For now, there are no papers in front of me. We start tomorrow [2 June], when I meet the team.

Q: The Committee has some personalities with capital Ps. How do you intend to chair, and what have you learnt from some of the mistakes made in the ad