In South Africa, the Constitutional Court on Friday annulled a decision by Parliament which blocked any impeachment proceedings targeting President Cyril Ramaphosa. A turnaround in the situation which highlights the scandal linked to suspicions of concealment of funds.
The facts date back to 2020, when a large sum of money, nearly $500,000 in cash, was stolen from the president's cattle ranch and game reserve.
This money, hidden under the cushions of a sofa on his ranch, corresponded, according to the president, to the payment for buffaloes purchased by a Sudanese businessman. Cyril Ramaphosa was accused of failing to report the matter to the police and exposing himself to a conflict of interest in the matter. His detractors also speak of an abuse of power.
In 2022, Cyril Ramaphosa easily survived a National Assembly vote that could have triggered proceedings to remove him from office.
"It is declared that the vote of the National Assembly of December 13, 2022 [...] is unconstitutional, invalid, and canceled", said the President of the Constitutional Court, Mandisa Maya.
The National Assembly, where the ruling ANC then held the majority, rejected the report of a commission of inquiry which concluded that the president could be guilty of professional misconduct.
The attorney general dropped the charges in 2024.
The Court's decision to relaunch the case follows a complaint filed by the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party.
