South African president seeks quick legal halt to impeachment process

South African president challenges parliament’s move to impeach him

Mohan Sinha
16 Jun 2026, 17:20 GMT+10

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa filed a court request this week to try to stop parliament from starting an impeachment process over allegations linked to his “Farmgate” scandal.
Ramaphosa said that about US$580,000, concealed in a sofa at his farmhouse, was stolen, and that the money came from the sale of buffaloes.
Last month, South Africa’s constitutional court allowed the impeachment process to proceed, ruling that a 2022 parliamentary vote that had stopped it was invalid.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa filed an urgent court request this week to try to stop parliament from starting an impeachment process over allegations linked to his "Farmgate" scandal, according to court documents.

He wants the high court to first rule on another case where he is challenging an independent panel's findings of misconduct in the scandal. The case involves cash that was stolen from a sofa at his farm in 2020.

Ramaphosa said that about US$580,000 was taken and that the money came from the sale of buffaloes. However, the incident raised questions about why such a large amount of cash was hidden in furniture and whether it had been properly declared. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Last month, South Africa's constitutional court allowed the impeachment process to proceed, ruling that a 2022 parliamentary vote that had stopped it was invalid.

The high court is expected to hear Ramaphosa's challenge to the misconduct findings from September 2 to 4.

Ramaphosa, 73, has been president since 2018, and his second term is set to end in 2029.

The Farmgate scandal has been a major setback for him, especially since he came to power promising to fight corruption and improve the image of his African National Congress (ANC) party.

However, political experts believe he is likely to survive even if the impeachment process goes to a vote in parliament.