South Africa's president wins bid to temporarily halt impeachment inquiry over 'Farmgate'

What the report says

BBC Africa reports that South Africa’s Western Cape High Court has granted President Cyril Ramaphosa a temporary halt to a parliamentary impeachment inquiry linked to the “Farmgate” scandal. Judge Andre le Grange ruled on Friday that the parliamentary committee should not continue its hearings until the court has decided Ramaphosa’s separate review challenge to the findings of an independent panel.

The case stems from a 2020 burglary at Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm in Limpopo, where large amounts of cash were stolen. In 2022, an independent panel found that the president may have had a case to answer. Ramaphosa has denied wrongdoing and says the money came from the sale of buffaloes. BBC Africa reported that the stolen funds were allegedly $580,000 in US dollar bills hidden in a sofa.

Parliament initially voted against opening an impeachment inquiry, but South Africa’s Constitutional Court ruled in May that lawmakers acted unlawfully when they set aside the panel’s report. That decision reopened the path for the impeachment process, while Ramaphosa argued in court that the panel had misunderstood its role, the evidence and the charges against him.

BBC Africa says two of the three judges hearing the matter backed Ramaphosa’s application, meaning the impeachment proceedings cannot continue for now. The ruling gives the president more time ahead of his September court challenge. The issue remains politically significant because the ANC no longer holds a parliamentary majority after the 2024 election and governs in coalition.