Judge orders suspension of parliamentary inquiry as president challenges report linking him to alleged misconduct…..
A South African court has temporarily stopped impeachment proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa over a controversial cash scandal involving $580,000 allegedly stolen from his private farm.
The Western Cape High Court on Friday granted Ramaphosa’s request to suspend the work of a parliamentary impeachment committee pending the outcome of his legal challenge against a 2022 report that suggested he “may have committed” serious violations and misconduct.
Delivering the ruling, Judge Andre le Grange ordered that the committee should not continue with its public impeachment hearing until the court determines Ramaphosa’s review application.
“Pending the determination by this court of the applicant’s review… respondents are interdicted from proceeding with a public impeachment hearing,” the judge said.
Ramaphosa has consistently denied any wrongdoing and maintained that he has no intention of resigning over the controversy, which began after news emerged that foreign currency had been stolen from a couch at his Phala Phala farm in Limpopo in 2020.
The president has said he reported the burglary to law enforcement authorities and explained that the money involved was proceeds from the sale of 20 buffaloes.
The scandal, however, triggered allegations that Ramaphosa failed to properly disclose the theft and may have concealed information from police and tax authorities.
The complaint against him was filed by a former intelligence official and ally of former president Jacob Zuma, who alleged that Ramaphosa hid details surrounding the theft of millions of dollars from the authorities.
Following Friday’s ruling, Ramaphosa said he remained committed to constitutional processes and respect for the country’s institutions.
“The President reaffirms his respect of judicial independence and separation of powers enshrined in our Constitution,” a statement from his office said.
“The President will continue to cooperate with and abide by processes of accountability.”
If allowed to proceed, the impeachment hearing would mark the first such process against a sitting South African president.
Ramaphosa’s legal challenge against the independent panel report will be heard by the court in September. The report, released in November 2022, concluded that there was enough evidence to suggest he had questions to answer over the matter.
At the time, the report was rejected by South Africa’s National Assembly, where Ramaphosa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) held a majority, preventing the start of impeachment proceedings.
The matter later returned to Parliament after the Constitutional Court overturned the parliamentary decision in May, paving the way for the formation of an impeachment committee.
Although the public prosecutor dropped related charges in 2024, the legal and political controversy surrounding the Phala Phala farm incident has continued to follow Ramaphosa.
