JOHANNESBURG — A South African court has temporarily suspended a parliamentary inquiry into whether President Cyril Ramaphosa should face impeachment over the controversial “Farmgate” scandal involving stolen cash from his private farm.
Western Cape High Court Judge Andre le Grange ruled that the parliamentary committee must stop its hearings until a separate legal challenge brought by Ramaphosa against the findings of an independent panel is resolved.
The ruling gives Ramaphosa more time to challenge the panel’s conclusions, which found in 2022 that he may have a case to answer after burglars stole large amounts of cash hidden inside a sofa at his Phala Phala farm in Limpopo province. The president has denied wrongdoing.
The Constitutional Court ruled in May that Parliament had acted unlawfully when it declined to proceed with an impeachment inquiry based on the panel’s report, clearing the way for the process to resume.
Ramaphosa challenged the panel’s findings, arguing that it had exceeded its mandate, misunderstood the evidence and misinterpreted the allegations against him.
A three-judge panel heard the case, with two judges ruling in favour of the president. The decision means impeachment proceedings cannot continue until his separate court challenge is completed.
The scandal dates back to 2020, when thieves broke into Ramaphosa’s private farm and stole at least $580,000 in US dollar bills that had been hidden in furniture. The incident became public in 2022 after former intelligence chief Arthur Fraser reported the matter to authorities.
Political reactions were divided. The Democratic Alliance, part of South Africa’s governing coalition, said the ruling was expected but argued parliamentary preparations could continue. The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party accused Ramaphosa of using legal proceedings to delay scrutiny, while the African National Congress (ANC) welcomed the court decision and called for the process to be allowed to proceed without political interference.
