𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 court pauses President Cyril Ramaphosa’s impeachment process

South African President Cyril Ramapho𝐬a

A high court in South Africa on Friday granted President Cyril Ramaphosa an interdict temporarily halting a parliamentary impeachment inquiry against him.

Ramaphosa had sought to stay the public inquiry pending a legal review of an independent panel report in 2022.

It found that he may have violated the constitution and have a case to answer in the so-called “Farmgate” scandal.

This involves the 2020 theft of $580,000 in undeclared foreign currency ⁠hidden in a sofa on his Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo province.

Details of the robbery only emerged two years later. The president is accused of hiding the break-in and theft from both the police and tax authorities.

Ramaphosa has denied any wrongdoing, saying the cash was the proceeds of the sale of buffalo, and has ruled out resigning over the incident.

The panel report was rejected in a vote in the National Assembly, where his ruling African National Congress held a majority, quashing the opening of impeachment proceedings at that time.The public prosecutor dropped the charges in 2024.

However, the Constitutional Court overturned the parliament vote in May this year, leading to the establishment of the p𝐚rliamentary impeachment committee.

Ramaphosa then launched a review challenging the legality of the report, which 𝐰ill be heard in September.

His advocate had argued that subjecting the president to an impeachment inquiry on the back of a flawed report would “h𝐮miliate” him.

The ruling likely spares Ramaphosa further embarrassment over the scandal until the review is heard.

But analysts say that even if the impeachment process gets off the ground, he is 𝐮nlikely to be removed from office.

Ramaphosa said after the court decision that he “reaffirms his respect of judicial independence and separation of powers 𝐞nshrined in our Constitution.”