Top ANC official backs Ramaphosa over 'Farmgate' scandal

PRETORIA: A senior official in South Africa’s ruling African National Congress backed President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday as the party began considering how to respond to the renewed fallout from the Farmgate scandal.

ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula, who oversees the party’s day-to-day affairs, voiced support for Ramaphosa at the outset of a meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee. The gathering was convened to discuss the implications of a recent constitutional court ruling that revived an impeachment process linked to the controversy.

The ANC had blocked impeachment proceedings against Ramaphosa in 2022, but the constitutional court reopened the matter last week. Speaking to reporters, Mbalula said demands for the president to resign were politically motivated and came after Ramaphosa had resisted such pressure.

"In terms of the (court) judgment, there's nothing that says he (Ramaphosa) must actually resign as the president of the country," Mbalula said.

He added that the National Executive Committee, a key decision-making body that provides direction to party members, would review the full judgment and would not be pressured into a particular course of action. According to Mbalula, Ramaphosa would not attend the meeting so that senior ANC figures could deliberate freely.

Scandal remains a political burden

The Farmgate affair centres on the theft of cash from Ramaphosa’s ranch. The case raised questions over how he came to possess $580,000 in cash that he said had been stolen from the property, whether the money had been properly declared, and why it had been hidden inside furniture instead of being placed in a bank.

The issue has been a significant political embarrassment for Ramaphosa. He took office in 2018 after promising to tackle corruption and restore the image of the ANC.

The latest developments have again placed the scandal at the centre of South African politics, although political analysts say the impeachment route still has a long way to go. They also say Ramaphosa is likely to survive if the matter eventually reaches a parliamentary vote.

Ramaphosa’s current presidential term is due to run until 2029.

Mbalula’s remarks signalled that the ANC leadership is, for now, standing by the president despite the renewed legal and political scrutiny. The party’s internal discussions are expected to focus on the constitutional court’s findings and the options available to the ANC as it navigates another round of pressure over a scandal that has lingered since 2022.

The controversy has remained especially sensitive because it touches on issues of transparency, financial disclosure and accountability, all of which have carried added weight during Ramaphosa’s presidency given his anti-corruption platform.

For the ANC, the meeting represented an early test of how firmly the party intends to defend its leader after the court’s intervention reopened a matter it had previously helped shut down in parliament.