Could South Africa’s Ramaphosa be impeached over ‘cash-in-sofa’ scandal?
Key takeaways
- President Ramaphosa came to power on an anticorruption mandate.
- The committee’s findings could spell his impeachment; however, parliament has not provided a timeframe for the investigation, which has yet to commence.
- Analysts say the scandal, which has been dubbed “Farmgate”, has been particularly damaging for a president who rode to power in 2018 on an anticorruption mandate, after the much-criticised presidency of Jacob Zuma.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
President Ramaphosa came to power on an anticorruption mandate. Eight years later, the African National Congress leader could go out for stuffing cash in furniture.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers a speech during the Global Progressive Mobilisation forum in Barcelona on April 18, 2026 [Oscar Del Pozo/AFP]By Yashraj Sharma Published On 13 May 202613 May 2026South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has refused to resign over a “cash-in-sofa scandal” that continues to haunt his presidency.
Ramaphosa, who addressed the nation on Monday to declare his intention to remain in his post, is set to face a multi-party impeachment committee, which will investigate allegations that he covered up a 2020 break-in at his private ranch and the theft of more than $500,000, concealing the incident from police and tax authorities.