South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has won a court challenge temporarily halting a parliamentary impeachment process over misconduct allegations linked to the “Farmgate” scandal. The Ramaphosa impeachment court pause offers the president a reprieve as he fights the legal basis of the case against him.
The Western Cape High Court granted Ramaphosa an interim interdict, temporarily preventing the impeachment committee from proceeding with public hearings while he challenges the legality of a 2022 report that found he “may have committed” serious violations and misconduct.
What the Court Ruled
“Pending the determination by this court of the applicant’s review … respondents are interdicted from proceeding with a public impeachment hearing,” Judge Andre le Grange announced on Friday.
The Farmgate Scandal Explained
Farmgate, a scandal involving half a million dollars stashed in a sofa at Ramaphosa’s ranch, nearly cost the president the leadership of his African National Congress (ANC) in late 2022. Corruption allegations tied to the party also contributed to the ANC losing its majority in the May 2024 election, the most closely contested vote in South Africa’s democratic history.
Ramaphosa has consistently denied any wrongdoing and has ruled out resigning over the incident since the allegedly undeclared stash of foreign currency came to light after being reported stolen in 2020. The president has said the $580,000 hidden at his luxury Phala Phala farmhouse in Limpopo province represented proceeds from the sale of buffaloes. The episode has nonetheless proven a major embarrassment, raising persistent questions about why he kept so much cash stuffed in furniture.
A Boost Ahead of a Separate Court Case
Friday’s ruling represents a boost for Ramaphosa as he also awaits the outcome of a separate court case challenging an independent panel’s findings that he may have a case to answer over the scandal.
Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, said the president respects the ruling. “[He] reaffirms his respect of judicial independence and separation of powers enshrined in our Constitution,” Magwenya said in a statement. “The president will continue to cooperate with and abide by processes of accountability.”
Ramaphosa Expected to Retain Power
Political analysts expect Ramaphosa to remain in power even if the impeachment process eventually moves forward and leads to a vote on his removal. He still enjoys the backing of the ANC, the country’s largest party and leader of the coalition government, which holds about 40 percent of seats in the National Assembly. It remains unclear how the ANC’s coalition partners would vote if the impeachment process were to proceed.
