JOHANNESBURG, May 11 (Reuters) – South Africa’s African National Congress (ANC) party has called a meeting of one of its top decision-making bodies after a court ruling that revived impeachment proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa over the “Farmgate” scandal.
Party spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu told Reuters the special National Executive Committee meeting on Tuesday evening would discuss the constitutional court ruling, confirming a report by the TimesLIVE news website.
The scandal centres on the theft of a large amount of foreign currency from a sofa on Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala game farm in 2020.
Ramaphosa has denied wrongdoing and said he respects the constitutional court’s judgment.
In 2022, the ANC used its parliamentary majority to block the establishment of an impeachment committee to further investigate the incident, which raised questions about how Ramaphosa acquired so much cash and whether he declared it.
Ramaphosa has said the money was from proceeds from the sale of buffaloes.
In a separate statement on Monday, parliament said the speaker of the National Assembly would begin the process of setting up the impeachment committee, as ordered by the constitutional court.
(Reporting by Anathi Madubela, Sfundo Parakozov and Nilutpal Timsina;Editing by Alexander Winning)
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