South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Monday that he will not resign over a cash heist scandal and will challenge impeachment proceedings in court. In a televised address, he stated: "I therefore respectfully want to make it clear that I will not resign. To do so would be to preempt a process defined by the Constitution. To do so would be to give credence to a panel report that unfortunately has grave flaws."

The scandal involves a 2020 break-in at Ramaphosa's luxury Phala Phala farm in Limpopo province, where $580,000 (€492,000) in foreign currency was allegedly stolen. Ramaphosa claimed the money came from the sale of buffaloes, but he is accused of hiding the theft from police and tax authorities.

In 2022, an independent parliamentary committee found that Ramaphosa "may have committed" serious violations and misconduct. At the time, his African National Congress (ANC) party held a parliamentary majority and declined to open impeachment proceedings.

The case resurfaced last week when the Constitutional Court, responding to a complaint by the radical left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party, ordered the 2022 report to be referred to an impeachment committee.

Under South Africa's Constitution, impeaching Ramaphosa requires support from at least two-thirds of the 400 lawmakers in Parliament. The multi-party impeachment committee must first conduct an investigation, though no timeline has been set.

Ramaphosa's ANC lost its parliamentary majority in the 2024 election and is now part of a 10-party coalition. However, he could still survive an impeachment vote if his party's lawmakers back him.

Source: www.dw.com