by Kopano Gumbi and Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – The African National Congress (ANC), South Africa’s ruling party, failed to decide on Friday the fate of President Cyril Ramaphosa after the publication of a report recommending the opening of dismissal proceedings against him for financial embezzlement.
The future of the head of state has been in suspense since the publication on Wednesday of this report concerning the discovery, in 2020 during a burglary, of millions of dollars in cash on a livestock farm belonging to him and on the fact that he never reported the loss of this sum. This “Farmgate”, as the South African press dubbed it, broke out in June.
Cyril Ramaphosa has since denied any irregularity and has not yet been charged with any misdemeanor. The head of state explained that the amount at stake was much lower than the 4 to 8 million dollars quoted in the media and that it was revenue from the sale of wild animals.
The ANC’s National Executive Committee, made up of around 80 members, will meet again before December 6, when the report is considered by Parliament, announced the ANC’s Treasurer General, Paul Mashatile.
The discovery of the theft of millions of dollars in cash from Phala Phala, Cyril Ramaphosa’s ranch north of Pretoria, has raised questions about where the money came from and whether it was hidden from the tax authorities.
A former trade unionist turned businessman, Cyril Ramaphosa was elected president in 2018 on a program particularly focused on the fight against corruption.
The independent commission appointed by the South African Parliament estimated in its report delivered on Wednesday that the Head of State “could be guilty of serious breaches of certain articles of the Constitution” and would have placed himself in “a situation of conflict of interest between his official responsibilities as president and (his private activities) as a businessman”.
This commission ruled that Cyril Ramaphosa had “acted in a manner incompatible with his mandate”, paving the way for a possible impeachment procedure for the president.
THE ANC IS UNITED
ANC President Gwede Mantashe on Friday dismissed reports the day before in the press that Cyril Ramaphosa was considering resigning, sparking panic in South African financial markets.
“In my opinion, it would be premature for the president to resign,” he said in an interview with local television channel Newzroom Afrika.
Gwede Mantashe, current Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, said the committee’s report had many flaws and could be challenged.
Another backer for the president, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana also told Reuters he wanted Cyril Ramaphosa to remain in office, while calling on investors to remain calm.
Penalized Thursday by fears of a resignation of Cyril Ramaphosa, the South African rand and sovereign bonds rebounded Friday after these declarations.
Two other ministers, however, called on the president to resign: Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, minister of cooperative governance and traditional affairs, ex-wife of former president Jacob Zuma and unfortunate opponent of Cyril Ramaphosa for the leadership of the ANC in 2017, and Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu campaigning for the presidency of the ANC.
If Cyril Ramaphosa wins the support of the ANC leadership, impeachment proceedings in parliament would be unlikely to succeed given the dominance of the ANC.
The ANC meets on December 16 to appoint its next leader, called to become head of state if the party wins the legislative elections scheduled for May 2024.
(Report Kopano Gumbi, Tim Cocks, Alexander Winning, Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo, Alexander Winning and Wendell Roelf; French version Myriam Rivet and Jean-Stéphane Brosse, edited by Sophie Louet)