South Africa’s highest court has overturned a parliamentary vote that shielded President Cyril Ramaphosa from impeachment proceedings over the long-running Phala Phala cash scandal, reopening one of the most damaging controversies of his presidency.
In a landmark ruling on Friday, the Constitutional Court of South Africa found that lawmakers acted improperly when they voted in 2022 to reject an independent panel report that identified credible evidence Ramaphosa may have committed misconduct linked to large sums of cash hidden at his game farm.
The decision could pave the way for formal impeachment proceedings against the president, who is serving his final term in office.
Court Orders Impeachment Process to Continue
Chief Justice Mandisa Maya said Parliament could not simply dismiss the findings of the independent inquiry panel without following constitutional procedures.
“In the event that the panel concludes that sufficient evidence exists, the matter must be referred to the impeachment committee,” Maya said while delivering the judgment.
The ruling means the report must now be sent to Parliament’s impeachment committee for a full investigation. That committee could ultimately recommend whether lawmakers should vote on removing Ramaphosa from office.
The original panel report had concluded there was prima facie evidence that Ramaphosa may have violated anti corruption laws and breached his constitutional obligations.
The Phala Phala Scandal
The controversy centers on the theft of $580,000 in U.S. currency from Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala game farm in Limpopo province.
Ramaphosa said the money represented proceeds from the sale of buffaloes to a Sudanese businessman and that it had been hidden inside furniture at the farm when it was stolen in 2020.
Questions over why such a large amount of undeclared foreign cash was stored in a couch triggered allegations of tax evasion, money laundering and violations of foreign currency regulations.
The scandal only became public in 2022 after former intelligence chief Arthur Fraser filed a criminal complaint accusing Ramaphosa of attempting to conceal the theft and bypass proper law enforcement procedures.
Ramaphosa has consistently denied wrongdoing and has maintained that the money came from legitimate business transactions connected to his wildlife farm.
Opposition renews pressure on Ramaphosa
The court ruling immediately intensified political pressure on the president, with opposition parties demanding his resignation.
Julius Malema, leader of the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters, said Ramaphosa should step down immediately.
“Ramaphosa is going to jail,” Malema told supporters after the ruling, claiming the impeachment process would expose further evidence against the president.
The EFF was among opposition parties that challenged Parliament’s earlier decision in court, arguing that lawmakers from the ruling African National Congress used their majority at the time to protect Ramaphosa from accountability.
In December 2022, ANC lawmakers voted against initiating impeachment proceedings despite the panel’s findings, allowing Ramaphosa to survive the most serious threat to his presidency.
Ramaphosa’s Political Position Weaker Than Before
While Ramaphosa previously relied on the ANC’s parliamentary dominance to fend off impeachment efforts, the political landscape has since shifted significantly.
The ANC lost its outright parliamentary majority in the 2024 general election for the first time since the end of apartheid, weakening the party’s ability to unilaterally block future proceedings.
Analysts say the new balance of power in Parliament could make any impeachment process far more unpredictable than it was in 2022.
The scandal has continued to damage Ramaphosa’s image as a reformist leader committed to fighting corruption after succeeding former President Jacob Zuma, whose administration was heavily criticized over allegations of state corruption and mismanagement.
Presidency Insists Ramaphosa Will Cooperate
Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said Ramaphosa would continue cooperating with all legal and parliamentary processes linked to the case.
“President Ramaphosa maintains that no person is above the law and that any allegations should be subjected to due process without fear, favour or prejudice,” Magwenya said in a statement.
He also noted that two previous investigations, including probes by the South African Reserve Bank and the Public Protector’s office, had cleared the president of wrongdoing.
Despite those findings, the Constitutional Court ruling revives scrutiny over unanswered questions surrounding the origin, storage and handling of the stolen cash.
The case is expected to dominate South African politics once again as Parliament prepares to determine the next stage of the impeachment process.
