South African Impeachment Committee to Hold First Meeting on President Scandal

South Africa's parliament has scheduled the first meeting of an impeachment committee for Monday to examine allegations involving the president, Reuters reported citing the Democratic Alliance party. The meeting marks the next stage in an impeachment process revived by the Constitutional Court this month.

The process concerns events from 2020 in which bundles of cash were stolen from a sofa on the president's farm.

The committee has 31 members.

Its first task will be to elect a chairperson. The Democratic Alliance parliamentary leader said the party believes the chairperson should not come from the president's party. The Democratic Alliance is the second-largest party in a coalition government and has stated it will hold the president accountable for any findings.

The president has denied wrongdoing.

On Tuesday the president filed a legal challenge against an independent panel report that found preliminary evidence of misconduct. The president has also said the office may seek a court order to halt proceedings while the challenge is pending. The president's party holds about 40 percent of seats in the National Assembly, enough to block an impeachment vote that requires a two-thirds majority.

The party leadership has stated it fully supports the president. The party holds nine of the 31 seats on the impeachment committee.