JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s constitutional court delivered a victory Friday to opposition forces attempting to restart impeachment proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa related to a controversy known locally as “Farmgate.”
The controversy nearly ended Ramaphosa’s presidency when it emerged in 2022 following findings by an independent panel that suggested possible misconduct on his part.
While Ramaphosa has consistently denied any wrongdoing and faced no criminal charges, the scandal created significant political turmoil.
At the time, his African National Congress (ANC) party stood by him, leveraging their parliamentary control to block any impeachment proceedings from moving forward.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), a far-left opposition party, took the matter to South Africa’s highest court in 2024, contending that parliament violated the law by refusing to hold Ramaphosa accountable for his actions.
