President Cyril Ramaphosa is currently weighing his legal options following a major ruling by the Constitutional Court. On Friday, the highest court in the land decided that Parliament must reopen the impeachment process against him. This all goes back to the theft of cash from his private game farm, Phala Phala, a story that has gripped the nation for years.
Despite the pressure, those close to the president say he is not thinking about stepping down. The issue is expected to be the main topic of discussion at a meeting of senior African National Congress officials today.
The Constitutional Court ruled that Parliament made a mistake when it blocked an impeachment committee from looking into the matter. The court said Parliament failed to follow the correct rules when it ignored a report by an independent panel. That panel had found that Ramaphosa might have a case to answer regarding the theft of $580,000, which was hidden inside a sofa at his farm.
A source inside the presidency told reporters that the president is looking at his choices right now, making sure he follows the law.
Lawson Naidoo, the director of the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution, explained what might happen next. He said one choice for the president is to go to the High Court. Ramaphosa could ask the court to review the independent panel's report. His legal team had previously asked the Constitutional Court to throw the report out, but that attempt failed because it was brought to the wrong court. Now, they could try again in the High Court.
Naidoo pointed out that if the president takes this route, it would stop Parliament from moving forward. Parliament cannot act on a report that is being challenged in court.
Another option is for the president to simply let Parliament go ahead with the impeachment inquiry. However, this process would take a long time. It is very unlikely to be finished before the local government elections, which are set for the fourth of November. Naidoo noted that all the political parties in Parliament will likely use the inquiry to show off and score political points ahead of the elections.
Melanie Verwoerd, a political analyst and former Member of Parliament for the ANC, shared her thoughts on the situation. She said that if an impeachment inquiry does happen, it will have to look at all the facts. This includes a report from the South African Reserve Bank, which cleared Ramaphosa of breaking any rules about foreign money.
The Reserve Bank released its findings after the independent panel had already finished its work. Verwoerd believes this might give the president more confidence to face an inquiry, knowing that the central bank did not find him guilty of any wrongdoing.
Verwoerd also thinks it is highly unlikely that Ramaphosa will actually be impeached. To remove a president from office, more than two-thirds of the Members of Parliament must vote against him. That is a very high number to reach.
Even a vote of no confidence, which only needs a 50 percent majority, is unlikely to succeed. Most parties in Parliament seem satisfied with Ramaphosa as president. The ANC currently holds 159 seats in Parliament. This is just under 40 percent of the 400 seats in the National Assembly, as the party lost its absolute majority after the 2024 general elections.
However, opposition parties are still trying to push him out. The MK party and the African Transformation Movement have both filed separate motions of no confidence against the president.
The MK party, led by former president Jacob Zuma, knows a lot about these motions. When Zuma was president, he survived several votes of no confidence because the ANC had a huge majority and made sure its members voted to protect him. Now, the MK party is asking for the vote to be held in secret.
Nhlamulo Ndhlela, the spokesperson for the MK party, said they have written to the speaker of the National Assembly. They asked for a secret ballot because of the heavy political pressure surrounding the vote. They believe a secret vote will allow Members of Parliament to vote with their conscience, rather than just following party orders.
The story of the Phala Phala farm theft started back in February 2020. A large amount of US dollars was stolen from the president's private farm in Limpopo. The money was hidden inside furniture. The theft was kept quiet for a long time, and the police were not informed in the usual way. Instead, the president's own security team looked into it.
When the story finally broke, it caused a massive uproar. People wanted to know why there was so much foreign cash hidden in a sofa and why the theft was covered up. Ramaphosa has always said the money came from selling special Ankole cattle to a businessman and that he did nothing wrong.
Now, with the Constitutional Court's ruling, the spotlight is back on the president. The nation waits to see what legal steps he will take next and how Parliament will handle the renewed call for an impeachment inquiry. The coming weeks will be crucial for Ramaphosa and the future of South African politics.
