South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to address the nation on Monday evening following renewed political pressure over the controversial “Farmgate” scandal, which has once again placed his presidency under scrutiny.
The presidency announced that Ramaphosa’s national address would begin at about 8 p.m. local time after South Africa’s Constitutional Court revived impeachment proceedings linked to the scandal involving large sums of foreign cash allegedly stolen from furniture at his Phala Phala ranch.
The controversy dates back to 2020 when thieves reportedly stole hundreds of thousands of dollars hidden inside a sofa at Ramaphosa’s game farm. The president said the stolen money — estimated at about $580,000 — came from the sale of buffaloes. However, a former intelligence official claimed the amount involved was closer to $4 million.
The case has raised questions over the source of the cash, whether it was properly declared, and why such a large amount was allegedly stored in furniture instead of being deposited in a bank.
Ramaphosa, who has consistently denied any wrongdoing, said he respected the Constitutional Court’s ruling delivered last Friday. A previous attempt to initiate impeachment proceedings was blocked by lawmakers from the ruling African National Congress in 2022, but the court has now declared that parliamentary vote invalid and ordered the establishment of a new impeachment inquiry committee.
Although the impeachment process could theoretically remove Ramaphosa from office before the end of his term in 2029, political analysts believe this remains unlikely. Any successful impeachment vote would require a two-thirds majority in parliament.
Despite losing its outright parliamentary majority in the 2024 election, the ANC still controls roughly 40 percent of seats in the National Assembly and is expected to receive support from coalition allies, including the Democratic Alliance.
Meanwhile, former President Jacob Zuma’s party, uMkhonto weSizwe, has formally requested a parliamentary no-confidence vote against Ramaphosa.
