The Sinkhole
SOUTH AFRICA
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is facing calls for his impeachment this week after an independent panel said he violated anti-corruption law during the investigation of a robbery at his farm, CNBC reported Thursday.
The issue centers on the “Farmgate” scandal in which Ramaphosa – who entered office on an anti-corruption platform – is accused of hiding a $4 million theft from his Phala farm in the northeast of the country in 2020.
He also allegedly cooperated with authorities in neighboring Namibia to capture, torture and bribe the suspects.
The Namibian government has denied any involvement.
Ramaphosa admitted that the robbery took place but said the amount stolen was smaller. He denied the allegations and countered that the money was the proceeds from the sale of buffalo.
But a parliamentary-appointed panel began probing the case after Arthur Fraser, former head of the country’s State Security Agency, filed a complaint with police in June disputing the leader’s version of events.
The panel released a report Wednesday recommending that the president should face impeachment: Among its findings, it alleges that “there was a deliberate intention not to investigate the commission of the crimes committed at Phala openly.”
The report added that the president may have violated the constitution by “acting in a way that is inconsistent with his office.”
Ramaphosa, again, denied the recent claims.
Even so, South Africa’s parliament will now review the panel’s findings and decide whether to initiate impeachment proceedings against Ramaphosa.
The ruling African National Congress (ANC) party will also meet from Dec. 16 to Dec. 20 to decide whether to replace Ramaphosa as party leader or grant him another five-year term.
If the ANC votes to extend his term, Ramaphosa will be able to continue as president and run for a second term on the ANC ticket in the 2024 general election, according to the Guardian.
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