South Africa’s top court rules against South African President Cyril Ramaphosa over Farmgate scandal

South Africa’s Constitutional Court has ruled against President Cyril Ramaphosa in a case linked to the so-called “Farmgate” scandal, backing opposition efforts to revive impeachment proceedings.

The case relates to allegations that millions of dollars were allegedly hidden in sofas at Ramaphosa’s private game farm and later stolen. The controversy first emerged in 2022 after an independent panel suggested the president may have engaged in misconduct, News.Az reports, citing Sky News.  

Ramaphosa, 73, denied any wrongdoing and was never criminally charged. At the time, he faced significant political pressure to resign, but his party, the African National Congress (ANC), supported him and used its parliamentary majority to block impeachment proceedings.

In 2024, the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters filed a case with the Constitutional Court, arguing that parliament had acted unlawfully by failing to hold the president accountable.

On Friday, the court ruled in favour of the opposition, effectively allowing efforts to revive impeachment proceedings against Ramaphosa to move forward.

News.Az 

By Leyla Şirinova