A South African court has ruled in favour of President Cyril Ramaphosa by temporarily suspending impeachment proceedings linked to the controversial cash scandal involving hundreds of thousands of dollars allegedly kept at his Phala Phala ranch.
The ruling, delivered on Friday by the Western Cape High Court, prevents a parliamentary impeachment committee from continuing its work until the court determines Ramaphosa’s application seeking to overturn a November 2022 independent panel report.
The report had concluded that the president “may have committed” serious constitutional violations and misconduct.
Justice Andre le Grange ordered that the impeachment process be put on hold until the judicial review is concluded.
Ramaphosa has consistently denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly dismissed calls for his resignation since the scandal emerged following the reported theft of foreign currency from his ranch in 2020.
The president is accused of failing to properly disclose the theft to police and tax authorities after about $580,000 was allegedly stolen during a break-in at his Phala Phala farm in Limpopo Province.
Ramaphosa has maintained that he reported the incident to law enforcement and explained that the money was proceeds from the sale of 20 buffaloes.
The allegations were initially raised by a former intelligence chief and ally of former President Jacob Zuma, who claimed the amount involved was about $4 million and alleged the robbery was concealed from authorities.
Following Friday’s court ruling, Ramaphosa reiterated his commitment to respecting the country’s judicial system and constitutional principles. He also pledged to continue cooperating with all lawful accountability processes.
If the impeachment process eventually proceeds, it would mark the first impeachment hearing involving a sitting South African president.
The court is expected to hear Ramaphosa’s challenge to the 2022 panel report in September.
Although South Africa’s National Assembly previously voted against opening impeachment proceedings while the governing African National Congress (ANC) held a parliamentary majority, the Constitutional Court later overturned that decision in May, paving the way for the establishment of the impeachment committee.
Meanwhile, criminal charges connected to the matter were dropped in 2024, but legal and political scrutiny surrounding the case continues.
