Ramaphosa today. Photo: Marco Longari/AFP via Getty Images
The executive committee of South Africa’s ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), decided to stand by President Cyril Ramaphosa following emergency meetings on Monday after an independent panel recommended he face an impeachment inquiry over the “Farmgate” scandal.
Why it matters: Ramaphosa made up his mind to resign last Thursday before his allies convinced him to fight it out, the Mail and Guardian reports. He now seems likely to avoid impeachment, but he’ll still have to navigate additional investigations and convince his fractured party to re-elect him as its leader at a nominating conference in two weeks.
How it happened: It emerged in June that in 2020 burglars allegedly stole a huge sum of cash that had been stuffed into a couch at Ramaphosa’s private ranch.
- That raised questions about where Ramaphosa got the money (he says it came from selling buffalo and was far less than the $4 million originally reported), why it was hidden in a couch, why it hadn’t been declared, and why instead of reporting the theft he reportedly sent members of his security detail to track down the perpetrators.
- The panel tasked with investigating the matter did not find Ramaphosa’s explanations satisfactory, but ANC leaders instructed their lawmakers Monday to vote against impeachment, meaning he’ll likely avoid becoming the first president ever impeached in South Africa.
- Ramaphosa also asked the constitutional court to dismiss the report.
The big picture: Ramaphosa, a former confidante of Nelson Mandela who made a fortune in business before returning to politics, had been seen as a reformer in a party tainted by corruption scandals, and as the ANC’s best chance of reversing its downward political slide ahead of the 2024 election.
