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Court Halts Ramaphosa Impeachment Inquiry Over ‘Farmgate’ Scandal
A South African high court on Friday, July 24 temporarily halted a parliamentary impeachment inquiry into President Cyril Ramaphosa, delaying further scrutiny of the “Farmgate” scandal until a legal challenge to the report underpinning the process is heard in September.
Ramaphosa had asked the court to suspend the inquiry while he challenges the legality of an independent panel report that found he may have violated the Constitution and had a case to answer over the theft of $580,000 that had not been officially reported to the authorities. from his Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo province.
The cash was stolen in 2020 after being hidden inside a sofa at the farm. Details of the robbery emerged only two years later, with Ramaphosa accused of concealing the break-in and theft from the police and tax authorities.
The president has denied wrongdoing, saying the money was proceeds from the sale of buffalo. He has also ruled out resigning over the scandal.
The high court ruling comes after a long-running legal and political battle over whether Ramaphosa should face impeachment proceedings.
The independent panel’s report was rejected by the National Assembly in a vote in 2022, with Ramaphosa’s ruling African National Congress holding a majority. The vote effectively blocked the opening of impeachment proceedings at the time.
The public prosecutor later dropped criminal charges in 2024.
But in May this year, the Constitutional Court overturned the parliamentary vote, paving the way for the establishment of a parliamentary impeachment committee.
Ramaphosa then launched a legal review challenging the report, with the case scheduled to be heard in September.
His advocate argued that subjecting the president to an impeachment inquiry based on a flawed report would “humiliate” him.
The latest ruling is likely to delay further political damage to Ramaphosa until the legal review is decided. Analysts say that even if the impeachment process eventually moves forward, the president is unlikely to be removed from office.
Ramaphosa welcomed the court decision in the statement, saying it “reaffirms his respect of judicial independence and separation of powers enshrined in our Constitution.”
“The President will continue to cooperate with and abide by processes of accountability,” a statement said.
