By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Following the growing call for his resignation from office, the National Executive Committee (NEC) of South Africa’s African National Congress (ANC) says it is in support of President Cyril Ramaphosa after a court ruled that impeachment proceedings against him should continue.
Ramaphosa faced calls to step down after the constitutional court last week revived impeachment proceedings against him, in connection with a scandal dubbed “Farmgate” by local media.
The ANC’s NEC, an influential decision-making body within the party met this week to discuss how to handle the scandal, in which thieves stole bundles of foreign currency hidden in a sofa at Ramaphosa’s farm six years ago.
The committee reaffirmed its “full and continued support” for Ramaphosa, Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula, who oversees the day-to-day running of the ANC, told a press briefing at its headquarters in Johannesburg on Friday.
Mbalula added that the committee did not discuss recalling Ramaphosa as party leader and his resignation was “not on the table”.
Ramaphosa who came to office in 2018 has always denied wrongdoing over Farmgate, raising questions about how he acquired the $580,000 in cash that he said was stolen from his farm in 2020.
Critics have wondered whether the huge sum of money was properly declared, and why it was stashed in furniture rather than deposited in a bank.
A parliamentary voting four years ago blocked moves to impeach Ramaphosa, whose African National Congress (ANC) at that time controlled a majority in parliament.
The next step in the lengthy process is that a parliamentary impeachment committee will be set up to further probe the allegations against Ramaphosa, as ordered by the constitutional court.
An impeachment vote requires a two-thirds majority to pass and, even though the ANC lost its parliamentary majority in a 2024 election, it still has about 40% of the seats in the National Assembly.
Ramaphosa has said he will launch a legal challenge against an independent panel report that found preliminary evidence he committed misconduct over Farmgate.
A prominent opposition leader, Julius Malema has urged Ramaphosa to resign and “concentrate on this impeachment process because it has got serious implications on him as an individual”.
