JOHANNESBURG, May 14 (Reuters) – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has won the support of his party's top decision-making body over a scandal arising from the theft of bundles of cash in foreign currency hidden in a sofa at his farm, the SABC reported.
The alleged support of the African National Congress party's national executive committee over the “Farmgate” scandal has thrown Ramaphosa a potential lifeline as he battles demands to resign.
An ANC spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the public broadcaster's report, which did not provide further details about the endorsement made at a meeting on Wednesday.
Ramaphosa said on Monday he respected the constitutional court's ruling that revived impeachment proceedings against him over the scandal and promised to defend himself.
Since 2018, South Africa's head of state has always denied wrongdoing over Farmgate, raising questions about how he obtained $580,000 in cash that was stolen from his farm in 2020, whether it was properly declared, and why it was hidden in furniture rather than deposited in a bank.
The ANC postponed a briefing on the outcomes of its national executive committee meeting from Thursday to Friday.
The party halted impeachment proceedings against Ramaphosa over Farmgate in 2022. But the Constitutional Court revived the process last week, saying a parliamentary impeachment committee should be formed to conduct a greater investigation.
On Wednesday, the Speaker of the National Assembly said the impeachment committee would consist of 31 members from 16 political parties in the lower house of parliament.
The ANC will have the most members, nine, followed by its main coalition partner, the Democratic Alliance, with five.
Political analysts say Ramaphosa is likely to survive if Parliament votes on the impeachment process. It would need a two-thirds majority to pass, and the ANC has about 40% of the seats in the lower house.