South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced he will not resign and said he will challenge impeachment proceedings in court over the so-called “Farmgate” cash scandal.
The televised announcement came hours after Parliament said it would establish an impeachment committee, acting on an order from the Constitutional Court. In his address Ramaphosa said: “I therefore respectfully want to make it clear that I will not resign. To do so would be to preempt a process defined by the Constitution. To do so would be to give credence to a panel report that unfortunately has grave flaws.”
Allegations stem from a 2020 break‑in at Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo, where large sums of foreign currency—reportedly $580,000—were recovered from furniture. Ramaphosa has said the money came from the sale of buffaloes. A 2022 independent parliamentary inquiry concluded he “may have committed” serious violations and misconduct, but the ruling African National Congress (ANC) then declined to pursue impeachment.
The matter resurfaced after the Constitutional Court overturned Parliament’s earlier rejection of the 2022 committee report and ordered the report to be referred to an impeachment committee following a complaint by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party.
Under the Constitution, a successful impeachment requires the support of at least two‑thirds of the 400 MPs in the National Assembly. Before any vote, the multi‑party impeachment committee must investigate the allegations; Parliament has not set a timetable for that probe.
Ramaphosa’s ANC lost its outright majority in the 2024 election and now leads a 10‑party Government of National Unity, but the president could still survive an impeachment vote if enough lawmakers from his party and coalition partners back him.
By refusing to step down and opting for a legal challenge, Ramaphosa has intensified a politically charged process that will test South Africa’s institutions, the new coalition’s cohesion, and his ability to hold on to the presidency while the investigation and any subsequent parliamentary process proceed.