Court Halts Ramaphosa of RSA Farmgate Inquiry

A South African court has temporarily halted a parliamentary impeachment inquiry into President Cyril Ramaphosa’s alleged misconduct over the Farmgate scandal, delaying proceedings while he challenges the findings of an earlier independent panel report.

The court order suspended the inquiry until early September, when Ramaphosa is expected to ask the court to set aside a report that concluded he may have breached the country’s constitution. The decision postpones further parliamentary action and gives the president an opportunity to contest the report before the impeachment process continues.

The Farmgate scandal centres on the theft of $580,000 in foreign currency concealed inside a sofa at Ramaphosa’s game farm in 2020. The president has consistently denied any wrongdoing, saying the cash was proceeds from the sale of buffaloes. The incident nevertheless sparked public debate over why such a large amount of money was stored on the property and raised questions about transparency and accountability.

Despite the legal challenge, political analysts believe Ramaphosa is unlikely to face removal from office because the governing African National Congress (ANC) holds enough seats in parliament to defeat any impeachment motion. The Democratic Alliance (DA), the ANC’s main coalition partner, has called for the matter to be resolved without further delay, arguing that the public deserves clarity over the allegations.

Ramaphosa, who became president in 2018 on a pledge to fight corruption, has said he will cooperate with all lawful accountability processes. The court has not yet ruled on the validity of the panel’s findings, and the impeachment inquiry will remain suspended pending that decision.

SOURCE: Reuters