South Africa court halts Ramaphosa impeachment hearings

A South African court on Friday, July 24, 2026, granted President Cyril Ramaphosa a temporary order halting a parliamentary impeachment process against him over a 2020 theft of cash from his private game farm. The Western Cape High Court interdicted the impeachment committee from proceeding with public hearings until a separate legal review is concluded.

Judge Andre le Grange issued the ruling, which prevents the committee's chairperson, Makashule Gana, and the Speaker of the National Assembly, Thoko Didiza, from moving forward with the inquiry. The decision stems from a scandal involving the theft of approximately $580,000 in foreign currency from a sofa at Ramaphosa's Phala Phala farm in Limpopo province in February 2020.

Ramaphosa has consistently denied any wrongdoing, stating the money was proceeds from the sale of buffaloes. He sought the court order to pause the impeachment process pending his legal challenge to overturn a November 2022 report from an independent panel. That report found prima facie evidence that the president may have committed serious violations and misconduct, including allegedly failing to properly report the theft to police and tax authorities.