South Africa to Launch Presidential Impeachment Probe Over Farmgate Scandal

South Africa’s Parliament Establishes Impeachment Committee to Investigate President Ramaphosa

The lower house of parliament has announced that it will set up an impeachment committee to investigate allegations against President Cyril Ramaphosa in the “Farmgate” scandal. The decision was made by the country’s highest court last week, which revived impeachment proceedings against the president.

According to the constitutional court, parliament’s previous decision to block an inquiry into the scandal four years ago was inconsistent with the constitution. The impeachment committee will review evidence related to Ramaphosa regarding the scandal, which centers on a large sum of foreign currency hidden in a sofa at his Phala Phala game farm.

The committee is expected to deliberate over the matter for several months before making a recommendation on whether to proceed with formal proceedings. Ramaphosa has denied any wrongdoing and plans to challenge an independent panel’s report that found preliminary evidence of misconduct.

The African National Congress, Ramaphosa’s party, has scheduled a meeting of its National Executive Committee to discuss the scandal. The case against Ramaphosa was brought by two opposition parties, the Economic Freedom Fighters and the African Transformation Movement. Despite the potential outcome of the impeachment committee’s findings, Ramaphosa would still require a two-thirds majority in the lower house of parliament to be removed from office.

The ANC retains more than one-third of the seats in the National Assembly, despite losing its majority in 2024. The impeachment committee’s proceedings are expected to continue, with the outcome uncertain at this time.

Source: Al Jazeera