South Africa’s Ramaphosa Faces Impeachment Inquiry Over 2020 Cash Theft Allegations

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday that he will not resign following a Constitutional Court decision that requires parliament to reconsider a 2022 report into allegations surrounding a 2020 break-in at his private game farm. The court ruling last week overturned parliament’s earlier rejection of the independent panel’s findings and referred the matter to a multi-party impeachment committee for further investigation.

The committee has not yet begun its work and parliament has set no timetable for completion. In a televised address, Ramaphosa rejected the allegations and stated that the Constitutional Court judgment does not compel him to leave office. He added that he has cooperated with all investigations since a criminal complaint was filed against him in June 2022.

February 2020, burglars broke into Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala ranch in Limpopo province and stole approximately $580,000 in foreign currency that had been hidden inside furniture. The incident later became known as the Farmgate scandal after a former head of the state security agency accused the president in 2022 of money laundering related to the funds.

An independent parliamentary panel concluded in 2022 that Ramaphosa may have committed serious violations by failing to report the theft to police as required under anticorruption laws and by acting inconsistently with his office. At the time, the African National Congress held a majority in parliament and voted to reject the report, blocking any impeachment proceedings.

The left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters challenged that decision in the Constitutional Court. The court ruled that parliament had failed to properly consider the panel’s findings and ordered the creation of a new multi-party committee to conduct a full investigation.

Ramaphosa has consistently maintained that the cash came from the sale of buffalo and that he did not steal public money, commit any crime or violate his oath of office. He described the complaints against him as based on hearsay and said no sufficient evidence has been presented to support claims of misconduct.

The president has indicated he will seek a judicial review of the 2022 report, a step that could delay the impeachment committee’s work. It remains unclear how long the parliamentary process will take. A successful impeachment requires a two-thirds majority, or at least 267 votes in the 400-seat chamber.

The current multi-party committee investigation can lead to a vote on impeachment. Separately, any member of parliament may introduce a motion for removal, which would trigger review by an independent panel of legal experts. A no-confidence vote requiring only a simple majority is another available mechanism.

The African National Congress remains the largest party in parliament, and Ramaphosa serves as its leader. Opposition parties, including the Economic Freedom Fighters, have already proposed no-confidence motions.