The fate of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was the focus of attention on Thursday, following the publication of a report claiming that he “may have committed” “violations and misconduct” in a burglary scandal that has plagued him for months.
A parliamentary report accusing the South African president of corruption opens the way for impeachment proceedings within the ANC. While he seems determined to fight to the bitter end to keep his job, Cyril Ramaphosa has never been in such peril.
An independent commission appointed by South Africa’s parliament believes that Cyril Ramaphosa “allegedly” broke anti-corruption laws, violated the constitution, abused his power and exposed himself to “a situation involving a conflict between his official responsibilities and his private affairs. The investigation was launched after $580,000 in cash (nearly 560,000 euros) was stolen from the South African president in February 2020. The stolen bills were hidden in a sofa at his private farm in Phala Phala, north of Pretoria.
According to the commission, Ramaphosa played a role in the attempt to hide the money. Based on these findings, Parliament could, with a two-thirds vote in favour, launch impeachment proceedings against the president at its meeting on Tuesday, December 6.
Initially, the party’s acting secretary-general, Paul Mashatile, who enjoys broad support among the branches of the African National Congress (ANC) and who himself has presidential ambitions, had called a special meeting of the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC) for the evening of Thursday, December 1, which could have forced the president to resign. In a last-ditch effort, the president managed to postpone the meeting indefinitely, a sign that he is determined to fight to keep his seat, even if the situation has become critical.
If he survives the next few days, Ramaphosa will face another test in two weeks, on December 16, when the party holds its elective conference. That is when his fate will be decided: either he will be elected for a second term or Mashatile will replace him, or even former Health Minister Zweli Mkhize, who is also in the running for the post.
In a sign that times are decisive, Ramaphosa has already cancelled a question-and-answer session he was scheduled to attend on Thursday at Parliament’s National Council of Provinces, and his spokesperson has cancelled a general briefing scheduled for the same day. Shortly after the committee submitted its report to the speaker of parliament on Wednesday morning, November 30, Ramaphosa’s office issued a statement announcing that a state visit by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, scheduled for Tuesday, December 6, had been postponed.
