Ramaphosa Faces Fresh Impeachment Threat After South Africa’s Top Court Reopens Phala Phala Case

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is once again under intense political pressure after the country’s Constitutional Court ruled that parliament acted unlawfully when it blocked impeachment proceedings linked to the controversial Phala Phala cash scandal.

In a landmark judgment delivered on Friday, South Africa’s highest court overturned a 2022 parliamentary vote that had protected Ramaphosa from a formal impeachment inquiry. The ruling now forces parliament to refer the matter to an impeachment committee for further investigation, reviving a political controversy that has shadowed Ramaphosa’s presidency for years.

The scandal, widely known as the “Farmgate” or “Phala Phala” affair, erupted in 2022 after former intelligence official Arthur Fraser accused Ramaphosa of concealing the theft of large sums of foreign currency from his private game farm in Limpopo province. Allegations claimed that approximately $4 million had been hidden inside furniture at the farm before it was stolen during a 2020 break-in.

Ramaphosa admitted that money had been stolen but insisted the amount was far lower — around $580,000 — and said the cash came from the legitimate sale of buffaloes to a foreign buyer. He has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and has not been criminally charged.

The Constitutional Court found that parliament violated constitutional principles when lawmakers voted in December 2022 to reject an independent panel report that had identified possible misconduct by the president. The court ruled that the report should instead have been referred to a parliamentary impeachment committee for a full investigation.

The legal challenge was brought by opposition parties, including the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the African Transformation Movement (ATM), which argued that parliament had used the governing African National Congress (ANC) majority at the time to shield Ramaphosa from accountability.

EFF leader Julius Malema responded to the judgment by renewing calls for Ramaphosa to resign immediately. Malema described the ruling as proof that parliament had failed in its constitutional duty to hold the president accountable.

The decision marks a dramatic shift in South African politics because the ANC no longer holds the parliamentary majority it once relied on to defend Ramaphosa. Following the 2024 elections, the ANC was forced into a coalition government after losing its outright majority for the first time since the end of apartheid. Analysts say this could make any future impeachment proceedings far more unpredictable.

Despite the mounting pressure, Ramaphosa said he respects the court’s ruling and reaffirmed his commitment to the rule of law. In a statement released after the judgment, the president emphasized that “no person is above the law” and said he would continue cooperating with all legal and parliamentary processes.

The Phala Phala scandal has remained one of the biggest threats to Ramaphosa’s political legacy. Elected in 2018 on promises to fight corruption after the scandal-plagued administration of former President Jacob Zuma, Ramaphosa has faced criticism from opponents who argue that the affair undermines his anti-corruption image.

Questions have also persisted over why such large amounts of foreign currency were allegedly hidden inside furniture rather than deposited through formal banking channels. Ramaphosa has maintained that the money was linked to lawful business transactions conducted at his farm. Previous investigations by South Africa’s reserve bank and public watchdog cleared him of wrongdoing, although critics continue to challenge those findings.

While the ruling does not automatically remove Ramaphosa from office, it reopens a politically explosive process that could dominate South African politics in the months ahead. With opposition parties intensifying pressure and coalition politics reshaping parliament, the president now faces renewed uncertainty over the future of his administration.