South Africa's top court orders Ramaphosa impeachment review

Cyril Ramaphosa's presidency is on the line, as lawmakers will now have to reconsider whether there are grounds to impeach him over the scandal dubbed "Farmgate."

South Africa's Constitutional Court on Friday ordered the country's Parliament to reconsider impeachment proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The ruling stems from an allegation that $580,000 in US banknotes, hidden in a couch, was stolen from Ramaphosa's private Phala Phala game farm in 2020.

The court did not rule on the substance of the allegations. Instead, it examined whether lawmakers acted lawfully in rejecting a recommendation from an independent panel appointed by Parliament to proceed with an impeachment inquiry into claims that Ramaphosa broke the law in his handling of the theft.

The legal challenge was launched by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the African Transformation Movement (ATM), two opposition parties, who contend that Parliament's decision to dismiss the panel's findings was irrational and unconstitutional.

Cash-in-sofa scandal

The finding is a significant setback for the president, who has faced persistent allegations that he sought to conceal the theft to avoid scrutiny over the large amount of foreign currency kept as his property.

It was first brought to light in June 2022, when a former South African spy boss, Arthur Fraser, accused the president of hiding the theft at his farm in Limpopo province.

Ramaphosa has always denied wrongdoing over the affair and has not been charged with any crime. He said the money was payment for buffalos bought by a Sudanese businessman.

The president was also cleared in separate investigations by the Reserve Bank and an independent watchdog, the Public Protector.

A test for Ramapahosa's coalition government

In 2022, parliament instructed a panel headed by South Africa's former chief justice Judge Sandile Ngcobo to investigate the matter. 

The panel found the president had a case to answer and recommended that lawmakers proceed with an impeachment inquiry over the accusations.

Ramaphosa's African National Congress (ANC) used its then majority in Parliament to quash recommendations from the panel. It was then when the EFF and the ATM took the matter to court. 

The ANC no longer holds a majority in parliament but is the biggest party in Ramaphosa's government of national unity.

Parliament will now have to take the report back to a vote or establish an impeachment inquiry.

The president will then have to rely on the Democratic Alliance (DA), the second biggest party in parliament, and others in his broad coalition.

The DA had previously voiced concerns over parliament’s decision but has since joined the coalition government.

Edited by: Wesley Rahn