A South African court has ruled in favour of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s bid to temporarily halt a parliamentary inquiry that could have led to his impeachment over the controversial “Farmgate” scandal.
The scandal dates back to 2020 when burglars stole an estimated 580,000 US dollars from Ramaphosa’s private farm, concealed in a sofa. An independent panel later questioned whether the president misrepresented the theft to authorities, prompting a parliamentary investigation.
In May, the Constitutional Court ruled that parliament had acted unlawfully by shelving the panel’s report, thereby allowing the impeachment inquiry to resume. Ramaphosa, now fighting the panel’s findings in a separate case set for September, used this court order to pause the inquiry until his main legal challenge is decided.
The court’s decision was a significant relief for the president, who warned that proceeding with the impeachment hearings before his own case was concluded could inflict irreparable reputational harm. The ruling effectively buys time for the President to establish his innocence before parliamentary proceedings continue.
Reactions have been mixed: the Democratic Alliance, part of the governing coalition, said the ruling was expected but did not halt preparatory committee work; opposition groups accuse the president of using the courts to obstruct truth‑seeking. The ANC welcomed the ruling, urging parties to avoid politically motivated distortions while the legal process unfolds.
