Ramaphosa Faces Impeachment Revival Over $580,000 Farmgate Cash as Court Voids 2022 Vote
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · May 26
Ramaphosa Faces Impeachment Revival Over $580,000 Farmgate Cash as Court Voids 2022 Vote
11 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · May 26
$580,000 stolen from a sofa at Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm has again put South Africa’s president on an impeachment track after the Constitutional Court overturned Parliament’s 2022 decision blocking the process.
The court found that vote was procedurally flawed, reviving a panel report that cited initial evidence of serious misconduct over the cash’s source, how the theft was reported and efforts to pursue a suspect in Namibia.
Parliament says it will form an impeachment committee to investigate fully, but removing Ramaphosa would still require a two-thirds majority in the 400-seat chamber.
Ramaphosa, 73, denies wrongdoing, says the money came from a buffalo sale, and has filed court papers attacking the panel report as gravely flawed.
The revived scandal lands after the ANC lost its outright majority in 2024, though it still appears to retain enough support to block impeachment before Ramaphosa’s final term ends in 2029.
Cleared by the Public Protector but facing impeachment, can Ramaphosa's court challenge untangle this legal contradiction over the Farmgate scandal?
With his party's majority gone, can President Ramaphosa legally halt an impeachment process that he can no longer stop politically?
Ramaphosa Faces Renewed Impeachment: “Farmgate” Scandal and ANC’s Coalition Challenges After 2024 Election Setback
Overview
On May 8, 2026, the Constitutional Court delivered a major ruling that reshaped the impeachment process against President Cyril Ramaphosa by mandating a multi-party impeachment committee and overturning Parliament’s earlier decision. In response, Ramaphosa publicly respected the court’s judgment but continued to deny any wrongdoing in the "Farmgate" scandal, insisting the cash at his farm came from buffalo sales. Despite this, he is now legally challenging the findings of a 2022 independent panel. These developments set the stage for a renewed, multi-party investigation that could have significant political consequences for Ramaphosa and South Africa’s leadership.