JOHANNESBURG, May 11 - President Cyril Ramaphosa is scheduled to address the nation this evening after a court decision reopened the path for impeachment proceedings linked to a theft at his game farm that has become known locally as "Farmgate." The president's office said the televised address was due to begin around 8 p.m. (1800 GMT).
The episode centers on bundles of foreign currency stolen from a sofa at Ramaphosa's Phala Phala ranch in 2020. The incident emerged publicly in 2022 and has remained a persistent source of embarrassment for the president, who swept into office on promises to tackle corruption and restore the standing of the African National Congress, or ANC.
Gwede Mantashe, the ANC's national chairperson, told broadcaster Newzroom Afrika that Ramaphosa would not be stepping down. Political analysts monitoring the situation said they expect the president to use the address to contest the charges and defend his record. Independent analyst Daniel Silke said he believed Ramaphosa would aim to rebut the allegations and likely attempt to complete his term, which runs until 2029.
The ANC has scheduled a special meeting of its National Executive Committee for Tuesday to determine the party's next steps.
Legal developments earlier this week overturned a parliamentary vote in 2022 that had blocked impeachment. The Constitutional Court found that the earlier vote was invalid and ordered that an impeachment committee be established to further investigate the allegations arising from the theft.
Ramaphosa has consistently denied any wrongdoing. He said last week that he accepted the court's judgment. He has maintained that the cash stolen from the sofa amounted to $580,000 and represented proceeds from the sale of buffaloes. That figure contrasts with a claim by a former intelligence official who said at least $4 million had been taken.
The discovery of large sums in furniture at the ranch has prompted questions about how such funds were obtained, whether they were properly declared, and why the money was kept in a sofa rather than placed in a bank. A central bank inquiry concluded that Ramaphosa had not breached exchange control regulations.
Analysts caution that the process ahead remains complex. To remove a sitting president by impeachment requires a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly. Although the ANC lost its outright majority in a 2024 election, it still holds about 40% of the assembly seats, leaving it influential in any vote.
Alongside the revived impeachment track, the political opposition is pursuing other avenues. The party formed by former president Jacob Zuma, uMkhonto weSizwe, submitted a letter to the speaker of the National Assembly over the weekend requesting that a vote of no-confidence in Ramaphosa be scheduled. The speaker has not issued a public response to that request.
Observers note that a no-confidence motion would require only a simple majority to pass, but they also say it is unlikely to succeed because Ramaphosa is expected to retain backing from most ANC members of parliament and from key coalition partners, including the Democratic Alliance.
Tonight's televised remarks will be closely watched for how Ramaphosa frames his response to the court's decision and whether he lays out further detail about the events at Phala Phala. The coming days will include the ANC's internal deliberations at the National Executive Committee meeting and the formal setting up of parliamentary processes ordered by the court.