South Africa: Cyril Ramaphosa “Farmgate” Scandal Explained

A scandal threatens to end the political career of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa – if you haven’t heard the details, here’s what you need to know.

Ramaphosa was a close ally of Mandela

Cyril Ramaphosa, 70, became president of South Africa in 2018 after being active in the fight against white minority rule – apartheid – since the 1970s and was close to liberation hero Nelson Mandela.

He campaigned against corruption

Mr Ramaphosa rose to the top job on a pledge to fight corruption but is now facing questions himself over a large sum of cash found on his property.

Now he is charged with concealment.
The scandal centers on allegations that the president tried to cover up the theft of half a million dollars – possibly more – that was hidden deep in a couch on his farmhouse. This led to questions about where the money came from.He denies wrongdoing
The president denies the allegations that 4 million dollars (2 billion 400 million F CFA) were stolen. He claims that the amount stolen was 580,000 dollars (35,999,1326 F CFA) and that he obtained it by selling buffaloes.

But the accusations didn’t go away
An independent panel reviewed the allegations for the South African Parliament and concluded that the president may have broken the law and abused his position. But this is only the beginning of a process.’

His party is split on what needs to happen
President Ramaphosa’s party, the African National Congress, is deciding how to proceed. A prominent party member has said he should not quit, but other party members are demanding that he leave.

Parliament could try to impeach him
Even if his own party backs him, members of the South African parliament could find Mr Ramaphosa guilty of serious misconduct and hold a vote to remove him from office. But that requires a two-thirds majority and ANC MPs are likely to block that vote.

Some think he will quit
Rather than be impeached, some commentators believe Mr Ramaphosa will decide to resign and return to his cattle farm. But it would seem that his allies in the ANC want him to reconsider his decision in order to organize an orderly transition