Threat Of Impeachment Looms Over The South African President

In light of the “Farmgate” scandal, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa could be impeached.

In 2020, a $4 million (£3.3 million) theft from the president’s farm was allegedly covered up, with the burglars allegedly being kidnapped and paid off to remain silent.

An independent panel’s report, which was leaked, concluded that Mr. Ramaphosa may have violated an anti-corruption law and abused his authority.

The money, he claimed, came from selling buffalo, and he has denied any wrongdoing.

The conclusions of the panel have been presented to parliament, which will review them and make a decision on whether or not to begin the impeachment process the following week.

Meanwhile, the convention that will decide whether Mr. Ramaphosa can run for a second term with his party, the African National Congress (ANC), in 2024 is less than a month away.

Considering that Mr. Ramaphosa ran for office on an anti-corruption platform, the event might be especially harmful.

On Thursday, the ANC will meet with its executive, and it is anticipated that the topic would be handled then.

Meanwhile, a former South African intelligence chief named Arthur Fraser submitted a police report in June accusing the president of covering up a $4 million theft from his Phala Phala farm in the northeast of the nation in 2020, which is when the Farmgate issue first surfaced.

While acknowledging the robbery, Mr. Ramaphosa claimed the amount taken was less than claimed and refuted claims that he tried to cover it up.

In the farmhouse, he claimed that $580,000 in cash that had been used to purchase buffalo had been taken from under the sofa cushions.

According to the AFP news agency, he wrote in a response to the panel’s report that:

“I did not ‘hunt’ for the perpetrators of the theft, as alleged, nor did I give any instructions for this to take place.”

Conclusion

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