South African court halts impeachment hearings in Farmgate scandal

The Western Cape High Court has granted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa an interim interdict, temporarily suspending a parliamentary impeachment process linked to the “Farmgate” scandal. Judge Andre le Grange ruled that the impeachment committee must halt public hearings while Ramaphosa pursues a legal challenge against a 2022 report which suggested he may have committed serious violations.

The court order specifically prevents the committee from proceeding with public hearings pending the determination of Ramaphosa’s review of the 2022 report. In his ruling, Judge le Grange stated that respondents are interdicted from continuing with public impeachment hearings until the court determines the legality of the applicant’s review.

Ramaphosa has consistently denied wrongdoing regarding the scandal, which centres on allegations that $580,000 in undeclared foreign currency was hidden in a sofa at his Phala Phala ranch in Limpopo province. The president stated the funds were proceeds from the sale of buffaloes after the stash was reported stolen in 2020. The episode nearly cost him the leadership of the African National Congress (ANC) in late 2022.

The ruling provides a political boost to the president, who retains the backing of the ANC. The party holds approximately 40 percent of seats in the National Assembly and leads the current coalition government, although it lost its parliamentary majority in the May 2024 election. It remains unclear how the ANC’s coalition partners would vote in any eventual impeachment process.

Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, said the president respects the ruling and reaffirms his commitment to judicial independence and accountability processes. The president is also awaiting the outcome of a separate court case challenging an independent panel’s findings that he may have a case to answer regarding the scandal.