South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has rejected calls to step down amid the 'Farmgate' scandal, involving the alleged cover-up of a $580,000 theft from his private ranch in 2020. He faces accusations of money laundering and concealing the crime from police.

In a televised address on Monday, Ramaphosa declared he would not resign, stating, 'I have not stolen public money, committed any crime, nor violated my oath of office.' He plans to seek a judicial review of a 2022 parliamentary report that found he 'may have committed' serious violations.

The Constitutional Court last week ordered a multi-party impeachment committee to investigate the matter. If the committee finds sufficient evidence, it could trigger impeachment proceedings, requiring a two-thirds majority in the 400-seat National Assembly.

Analysts say Ramaphosa is likely to survive due to the parliamentary arithmetic: his African National Congress (ANC) holds 159 seats and governs in coalition with the Democratic Alliance (87 seats). However, the scandal has damaged his anti-corruption image and contributed to the ANC's declining popularity, which fell from 57.5% in 2019 to 40.2% in 2024.

Source: www.aljazeera.com