South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has filed a legal challenge seeking to overturn a parliament‑commissioned report that reopened the possibility of impeachment proceedings against him.
The application, lodged at the High Court in Cape Town on Tuesday, argues that the independent panel that produced the 2022 “Farmgate” report “misconceived its mandate, misjudged the information placed before it and misinterpreted the four charges advanced” against the president.
The report found that Ramaphosa may have committed serious misconduct in connection with the theft of US$580,000 hidden in a sofa at his Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo in 2020.
South Africa’s foreign‑currency laws require such cash to be deposited with an authorised dealer within 30 days but Ramaphosa has insisted the money came from the legitimate sale of buffalo and denied violating his oath of office.
The panel concluded he had “a case to answer,” prompting calls for an impeachment inquiry.
Parliament, then controlled by an African National Congress (ANC) majority, voted in 2022 against establishing an impeachment committee.
Earlier this month, however, the Constitutional Court ruled that decision unconstitutional, clearing the way for MPs to reconsider the matter.
Since losing its majority in the 2024 general election, the ANC has governed through a coalition, increasing uncertainty over how a renewed impeachment process might unfold.
Following the latest court ruling, the Speaker established a 31‑member impeachment committee drawn from 16 political parties, including nine ANC MPs.
The committee is tasked with determining whether there are grounds to proceed with impeachment.
Ramaphosa’s court action seeks to set aside the original panel report entirely, which would nullify the committee’s mandate.
JN/APA