South Africa court halts impeachment proceedings against President Ramaphosa

A South African court has ordered a halt to impeachment proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Updated - July 24, 2026 06:04 pm IST — JOHANNESBURG

AP

The Western Cape High Court on Friday ordered a halt to impeachment proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa over a scandal involving more than $580,000 in cash stolen from his farm in 2020.

The judgment does not stop the impeachment committee from carrying out other preparatory work for the pending proceedings.

Lawmakers had initiated impeachment proceedings in June after a damning parliamentary report concluded that the President had a case to answer regarding the handling of the theft. Key questions include:

• Why such large amounts of cash were kept in a sofa at the farm
• The source of the money
• Whether the foreign currency was legally declared
• Why he did not immediately report the theft to the police

Mr. Ramaphosa is challenging the report in court and has applied for the impeachment proceedings to be halted until the review of the report is complete.

According to his office, Mr. Ramaphosa welcomed Friday’s judgment and said he would “cooperate with and abide by processes of accountability.”

“The President reaffirms his respect of judicial independence and separation of powers enshrined in our Constitution,” the office said in a statement.

The so-called “Phala-Phala scandal” has been one of Mr. Ramaphosa’s major political challenges since he became the country’s leader in 2018.

Earlier this year, South Africa’s Constitutional Court—the highest in the country—ruled that the parliamentary report was valid and that impeachment proceedings could proceed, after the African National Congress (ANC) had won a parliamentary vote to block it.

The impeachment committee includes representatives from all political parties in Parliament. Most parties said on Friday they would study the judgment and consider whether to appeal.

Published - July 24, 2026 06:00 pm IST