South Africa's Ramaphosa gets 'full support' from his party over scandal

Johannesburg. A top decision-making body of South Africa's African ​National Congress (ANC) backed President Cyril Ramaphosa over the scandal dubbed "Farmgate" ‌by local media, a senior party official said on Friday.

The ANC's National Executive Committee 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 ranch 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.

Mbalula added that the committee did not discuss recalling ​Ramaphosa as party leader and his resignation was "not on the table".

Ramaphosa faced down calls to step down on Monday after the constitutional court last week revived impeachment proceedings against him.

South Africa's ​head of state since 2018 has always denied wrongdoing over Farmgate, which raised ​questions about how he acquired the $580,000 in cash that he said was stolen from his ‌farm ⁠in 2020, whether it was properly declared, and why it was stashed in furniture rather than deposited in a bank.

His current presidential term is due to end in 2029, and political analysts say he is likely to survive ​if the impeachment process ​goes to a ⁠vote 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.