"South Africa's Constitutional Court on Friday ordered the country's Parliament to reconsider impeachment proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa. The ruling stems from an allegation that $580,000 in US banknotes, hidden in a couch, was stolen from Ramaphosa's private Phala Phala game farm in 2020. The court did not rule on the substance of the allegations. Instead, it examined whether lawmakers acted lawfully in rejecting a recommendation from an independent panel appointed by Parliament to proceed with an impeachment inquiry into claims that Ramaphosa broke the law in his handling of the theft."
"The legal challenge was launched by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the African Transformation Movement (ATM), two opposition parties, who contend that Parliament's decision to dismiss the panel's findings was irrational and unconstitutional. Cash-in-sofa scandal The finding is a significant setback for the president, who has faced persistent allegations that he sought to conceal the theft to avoid scrutiny over the large amount of foreign currency kept as his property. It was first brought to light in June 2022, when a former South African spy boss, Arthur Fraser, accused the president of hiding the theft at his farm in Limpopo province."
"Ramaphosa has always denied wrongdoing over the affair and has not been charged with any crime. He said the money was payment for buffalos bought by a Sudanese businessman. The president was also cleared in separate investigations by the Reserve Bank and an independent watchdog, the Public Protector. The controversy around the theft has been dubbed "Farmgate, by South African mediaImage: AP Photo/picture alliance A test for Ramapahosa's coalition government In 2022, parliament instructed a panel headed by South Africa's former chief justice Judge Sandile Ngcobo to investigate the matter."
South Africa’s Constitutional Court ordered Parliament to reconsider impeachment proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa. The order followed allegations that $580,000 in US banknotes hidden in a couch were stolen from Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala game farm in 2020. The court did not decide whether the allegations were true. Instead, it assessed whether lawmakers rejected a recommendation from an independent panel appointed by Parliament in a lawful manner. The challenge was brought by opposition parties that argued the dismissal was irrational and unconstitutional. The case is a setback for Ramaphosa amid ongoing claims that he concealed the theft to avoid scrutiny of foreign currency kept at his property. He denied wrongdoing and was cleared by the Reserve Bank and the Public Protector.
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