South Africa’s Ramaphosa faces renewed impeachment threat over ‘cash-in-sofa’ scandal

The case, widely known in South Africa as the “Farmgate” or “Phala Phala” scandal, dates back to February 2020, when about $580,000 in cash was stolen from Ramaphosa’s ranch. The president has denied wrongdoing and says the money came from the legitimate sale of buffaloes at the farm.

The scandal first became public in 2022, when former state security chief Arthur Fraser reported the theft to police and accused Ramaphosa of money laundering and trying to conceal the incident. Ramaphosa has said he reported the matter to the head of his police protection unit at the time.

Why was cash hidden in a sofa?

According to Ramaphosa, the money was placed under sofa cushions in a spare bedroom by a staff member who believed the farm’s safe was accessible to other workers.

Ramaphosa, a wealthy businessman before entering high office, has long been associated with cattle, livestock and game breeding. His explanation is that the money was part of a lawful transaction linked to buffalo sales.

However, an independent parliamentary panel later found preliminary evidence of possible serious misconduct. The panel questioned whether the theft had been properly reported, whether the source of the money had been fully explained and whether the amount stolen may have been larger than Ramaphosa stated.

Court ruling revives impeachment process

Ramaphosa survived an initial parliamentary vote in 2022, when his African National Congress, then holding a majority, rejected the panel’s report and halted the impeachment process.

But opposition parties challenged that decision at the Constitutional Court. Earlier this month, the court ruled that parliament’s 2022 vote was procedurally flawed and should be set aside, reviving the possibility of impeachment. Parliament is now expected to establish an impeachment committee to investigate the allegations.

Reuters reported that South Africa’s parliament is due to convene the impeachment committee on Monday, marking a significant step in the renewed process.

Ramaphosa refuses to resign

Ramaphosa has said he will not step down and has filed legal papers challenging the findings of the 2022 panel report, calling it seriously flawed and based on hearsay. He has also sought to suspend the impeachment process while his legal challenge is heard.

Removing the president would require a two-thirds majority in South Africa’s 400-member National Assembly. Although the ANC lost its outright majority in the 2024 election, it still holds enough seats to make impeachment unlikely without a major political shift.

The scandal remains politically damaging for Ramaphosa, who came to power promising to restore clean governance after the corruption scandals of the Jacob Zuma era. His final presidential term is due to run until 2029.