South African Court Revives Impeachment Move Against President Ramaphosa Over ‘Farmgate’ Cash Scandal

South Africa’s Constitutional Court has revived impeachment proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa, ruling that parliament acted unconstitutionally when it blocked an inquiry into the controversial “Farmgate” scandal in 2022.

According to Al Jazeera, South Africa’s highest court on Friday ruled that the National Assembly’s decision to reject an independent panel’s recommendation for an impeachment inquiry was inconsistent with the constitution.

Chief Justice Mandisa Maya declared: “The vote of the National Assembly taken on 13 December 2022 … is inconsistent with the Constitution, invalid, and it is set aside.”

The Constitutional Court subsequently ordered that the independent panel’s report be referred to an impeachment committee for further review.

Ramaphosa had escaped impeachment proceedings in 2022 after lawmakers from his ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), used their parliamentary majority to block the inquiry recommendation.

The scandal, widely referred to as “Farmgate”, erupted after reports emerged that a huge amount of foreign currency had allegedly been hidden inside a sofa at the president’s private farmhouse before it was stolen.

The controversy sparked outrage across South Africa, with critics accusing Ramaphosa of failing to properly account for the source of the money and why such a large sum was allegedly stored outside the banking system.

The legal challenge against the president was filed by opposition parties, including the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the African Transformation Movement (ATM).

The EFF has repeatedly demanded Ramaphosa’s resignation since the allegations surfaced.

Ramaphosa, however, has consistently denied any wrongdoing, insisting that the money came from the sale of buffaloes at his farm.

The allegations first became public in June 2022 after former South African spy chief Arthur Fraser accused the president of attempting to conceal the theft.

Fraser alleged that approximately $4 million in foreign currency had been stolen from the property, although Ramaphosa disputed the figure, maintaining that the actual amount taken was about $580,000.

Since then, the South African leader has faced mounting scrutiny over allegations that he sought to suppress details of the theft to avoid questions over why such a large amount of cash was allegedly being kept at his residence instead of in a bank.

Despite Friday’s ruling, Ramaphosa may still survive any eventual impeachment vote because South African law requires a two-thirds majority in parliament to remove a sitting president from office.

Although the ANC lost its outright parliamentary majority during the 2024 elections, the ruling party still controls more than one-third of the seats in the National Assembly, making impeachment politically difficult.

Following the judgement, Ramaphosa’s office said the president respected the court’s decision and acknowledged that nobody was above the law.

According to Al Jazeera, the impeachment committee is expected to spend several months reviewing evidence before deciding whether to recommend a formal impeachment inquiry against the president.