Ramaphosa: The independent panel’s impeachment report is riddled with loopholes

How to prevent, or punish, the abuse of power is a question that is old as democracy itself. The quest for such a mechanism was necessary for a democratic order. After all, democratic societies dearly embrace the principles of equality and the exercise of executive power for the public good. 

Any abuse of power, either for oneself or to favour one group over others, is an attack on the collective good. For a president, it is the ultimate betrayal of his or her duties both as the embodiment of the public good and its supreme guarantor. 

An impeachment, therefore, is the strongest form of punishment that democracies could devise to register their unequivocal disapproval. In addition to vacating office, the incumbent even loses the benefits that are normally given to former presidents and is barred from occupying any public office.