South Africa's Constitutional Court has ruled that parliament acted unlawfully by blocking impeachment proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2022, reviving the process based on allegations related to the 'Farmgate' scandal. The ruling came after a legal challenge by opposition parties, including Julius Malema's Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), and may result in fresh impeachment proceedings.
Key Takeaways
South Africa's Constitutional Court ruled that parliament unlawfully blocked impeachment proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2022, reviving the process based on 'Farmgate' scandal allegations. The court ordered an independent panel’s report to be referred to an impeachment committee.
- Constitutional Court rules parliament acted unlawfully in blocking impeachment
- Impeachment process revived based on 'Farmgate' scandal allegations
- Ramaphosa denies wrongdoing, claims stolen money was from buffalo sales
- ANC loses majority; coalition partners agree to participate in impeachment proceedings without prejudice
The scandal centers around allegations that Ramaphosa tried to cover up the theft of about $4 million in foreign currency stashed in furniture at his Phala Phala game farm in 2020. According to Reuters, a former intelligence official made these allegations, while BBC News reports that an independent panel found evidence suggesting Ramaphosa may have committed misconduct.
The president admitted there had been a break-in but claimed the thieves only stole $580,000, which he said were proceeds from the sale of buffaloes. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing and was never charged with a crime. The impeachment proceedings were initially blocked in 2022 when Ramaphosa's African National Congress (ANC) had a parliamentary majority.
Since the 2024 general election, the ANC has been governing as part of a coalition, losing its majority in parliament. Key partners like the Democratic Alliance (DA) have stated they will participate fully in any impeachment committee without prejudging its outcome. The court's ruling sets aside the December 2022 vote that blocked the panel's report from being referred to an impeachment committee.
On Friday, Chief Justice Mandisa Maya said: 'The vote of the National Assembly taken on 13 December 2022 … is inconsistent with the Constitution, invalid, and it is set aside.' The court ordered that the independent panel’s report be referred to an impeachment committee. Ramaphosa's office stated he respected the court’s judgement and that no one was above the law.
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