President Cyril Ramaphosa’s future as South Africa’s leader is hanging in the balance after a report by an independent panel said he abused his position and may have broken the law in connection with a large sum of cash stolen from his game farm.
He is now facing a possible impeachment threat over the ‘farmgate’ scandal, with his party, the ANC, expected to meet this Friday to discuss the findings.
Ramaphosa has been accused of covering up the theft of about R60-million from his Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo in February 2020.
The issue only came to light in June this year when South Africa’s former spy chief, Arthur Fraser, walked into a police station and accused the president of money laundering, corruption and covering up a large theft of cash.
On the back of Fraser’s affidavit, a small opposition party, the African Transformation Movement, lodged a motion in Parliament asking to institute a so-called Section 89 inquiry into Ramaphosa’s fitness to stand office.
This prompted the speaker of Parliament to appoint a panel of experts to probe the issue.
The panel’s report, which came out on Wednesday, found that Ramaphosa abused his position and may have broken an anti-corruption law.
The president has denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with any crimes.
He said the money was from selling buffalo and that only US$580 000 in cash was stolen.
The report however raises several uncomfortable questions for Ramaphosa – who came to power on the promise to fight corruption – including why he was stashing the cash inside a sofa and why the theft was not reported to the police.
The findings have led to calls for the president to resign.
His meeting with provincial lawmakers, planned for this Thursday, was postponed to give him time to study the report.
The scandal could be disastrous for his political future, with the findings coming at a time Ramaphosa is less than a month away from a party conference which will decide if he can run for a second term with the ANC in 2024. – Staff Reporter