South Africa’s parliament has scheduled an impeachment committee meeting for Monday to further investigate allegations surrounding President Cyril Ramaphosa’s “Farmgate” scandal, according to the Democratic Alliance (DA) party.
The meeting marks the next stage in the impeachment process against Ramaphosa, which was revived earlier this month following a ruling by the constitutional court.
Parliament officials declined to comment on the development, while the presidency has yet to issue an official response.
President Ramaphosa has denied any wrongdoing in the case, which centres on allegations that large sums of cash were stolen from a sofa at his Phala Phala farm in 2020.
An independent panel had previously found preliminary evidence suggesting possible misconduct in 2022, but the impeachment effort was blocked at the time after Ramaphosa’s party, the African National Congress (ANC), voted against proceeding.
However, the constitutional court recently ruled that that parliamentary vote was invalid, effectively reopening the impeachment process and allowing lawmakers to revisit the allegations.
In response, Ramaphosa has filed court papers arguing that the panel’s findings were flawed and should be set aside. He has also warned that he may seek an urgent court order to halt parliamentary proceedings if the impeachment process continues while his legal challenge is still ongoing.
The renewed legal and political scrutiny has intensified pressure on the South African presidency, as both parliamentary and judicial processes now move forward in parallel.
The outcome of the impeachment committee’s work is expected to have significant political implications for Ramaphosa and the governing ANC.
