South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has secured a temporary legal victory after the Western Cape High Court halted parliamentary impeachment proceedings linked to the “Farmgate” scandal.
The court granted Ramaphosa an interim interdict, preventing the parliamentary impeachment committee from conducting public hearings while his legal challenge against a 2022 independent panel report is being determined.
Delivering the ruling on Friday, Judge Andre le Grange said:
“Pending the determination by this court of the applicant’s review … respondents are interdicted from proceeding with a public impeachment hearing.”
The impeachment process stems from the “Farmgate” controversy involving about $580,000 in foreign currency hidden inside a sofa at Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo Province. The cash was reportedly stolen in 2020, with the incident becoming public in 2022.
An independent panel subsequently concluded that the president “may have committed” serious constitutional violations and misconduct, prompting moves in Parliament to initiate impeachment proceedings.
The scandal nearly cost Ramaphosa the leadership of the governing African National Congress (ANC) in late 2022 and further intensified scrutiny of the party, which later lost its parliamentary majority in the closely contested 2024 general election.
Ramaphosa has consistently denied any wrongdoing and rejected calls to resign.
He maintains that the money represented proceeds from the sale of buffaloes at his Phala Phala farm, although the incident sparked widespread criticism over why such a large amount of cash was kept hidden in furniture.
Friday’s ruling offers temporary relief for the president as he also awaits the outcome of a separate court challenge seeking to overturn the findings of the independent panel.
Reacting to the judgment, presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said Ramaphosa would continue to respect judicial processes.
“[He] reaffirms his respect of judicial independence and separation of powers enshrined in our Constitution,” Magwenya said in a statement. “The president will continue to cooperate with and abide by processes of accountability.”
Political analysts believe Ramaphosa is likely to remain in office even if the impeachment process eventually resumes, given that he retains the backing of the ANC, which leads South Africa’s coalition government and remains the largest party in the National Assembly.
