Cyril Ramaphosa faces revived Farmgate impeachment inquiry in South Africa

South African lawmakers are preparing to open an impeachment investigation into President Cyril Ramaphosa as the Farmgate controversy returns to the centre of the country’s political debate.

The Democratic Alliance said Thursday that the parliamentary committee assigned to review the accusations is due to sit for the first time on Monday. The move follows a Constitutional Court decision that brought the process back to life.

Ramaphosa has rejected claims of misconduct. The scandal relates to the 2020 theft of major cash amounts that had been kept inside furniture at his private farm. The matter has continued to fuel questions about where the funds came from and why they were stored in that way.

“The good thing is that Parliament seems to be moving forward,” DA parliamentary leader George Michalakis said.

The committee has 31 members and is expected to start by choosing its chairperson. Michalakis said the DA believes the person selected should not come from Ramaphosa’s African National Congress, adding: “The DA’s strong opinion is that it shouldn’t be someone from the ANC.”

The DA, which is the second-biggest party in South Africa’s coalition government with the ANC, has kept up pressure on Ramaphosa. It has said the president must be held to account if the process confirms wrongdoing.

Ramaphosa, however, has taken the matter to court. He lodged a legal challenge against an independent panel’s report that said there was initial evidence of misconduct. That case could slow the parliamentary inquiry.

The president has also warned that he may seek an urgent court order to stop the proceedings if Parliament presses ahead before his challenge is resolved.

The ANC, which has roughly 40 percent of seats in the National Assembly, has stood behind Ramaphosa. It also has enough backing to prevent impeachment, which needs a two-thirds majority to pass.

Still, the ANC holds only nine seats on the 31-member committee, giving opposition parties space to influence how the investigation develops once hearings begin.