“I Will Not Resign,” Says Ramaphosa After Parliament Revives Impeachment Process

South Africa’s President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa has rejected calls to resign despite parliament setting up an impeachment committee to reinvestigate allegations that he concealed the theft of cash hidden in sofas at his private game farm, Phala Phala.

“I will not resign,” Ramaphosa said in a televised address on Monday night, broadcast live on several channels. He added: “The complaints against me are based on hearsay allegations.”

The 73-year-old said he would mount a legal challenge to a parliamentary report that found credible evidence of wrongdoing on his part.

His speech came hours after parliament announced it would establish the impeachment committee, in line with a ruling by the Constitutional Court last week.

The court found that a 2022 parliamentary vote blocking impeachment proceedings over the scandal was unconstitutional.

Ramaphosa, who is midway through his second term, has faced repeated calls to step down amid corruption allegations.

In 2022, he was accused of keeping US$4 million in foreign currency in sofas at his Phala Phala game farm and covering up its theft.

The president has acknowledged that money was stolen from the farm but disputed the amount, saying it was US$580,000 from the sale of buffalo.

An independent panel report said there was “legitimate doubt” about the source of the money and some evidence that the amount was higher than Ramaphosa claimed.

It also found evidence of wrongdoing, saying the president allegedly failed to properly report the theft to police and tried to keep the investigation to recover the money secret.

Ramaphosa used his parliamentary majority to get the ANC to block impeachment proceedings. That decision was overturned on Friday following a legal challenge by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).

Ramaphosa repeated that he had stolen no public money, committed no crimes, and had co-operated with all investigations.

“No evidence, let alone sufficient evidence, has been presented to prove that I committed any violation, let alone a serious violation of the constitution or the law or serious misconduct as set out in the constitution,” he added in his national address.

Instead, he said he would urgently seek a judicial review to challenge the Section 89 Independent Panel report.

He presented his stance as a way to protect national stability, warning that resigning would “give in to those who seek to reverse the renewal of our society”.

The ANC lost its parliamentary majority in the 2024 election and now leads a 10-party coalition government, with Ramaphosa still able to survive an impeachment vote if his party’s MPs support him.