South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to win reelection as leader of his party this weekend, after he was spared impeachment proceedings over a scandal dubbed “Farmgate” involving millions of dollars found stashed in the sofas at his private farm.
Delegates from the governing African National Congress (ANC) will converge in Johannesburg from Friday until Tuesday to pick their candidate, historically the ticket that decides who leads the country. The next national elections are due in 2024.
If Ramaphosa loses, it could open the door to a rival ANC faction allied to former President Jacob Zuma. Zuma, who is being investigated for grand corruption, denies wrongdoing.
However, the party’s response has overwhelmingly been to rally round the president and resist calls by opposition politicians for him to quit. The ANC on Tuesday stopped an impeachment process from being launched against Ramaphosa, as most of its lawmakers voted to reject an inquiry report into alleged misconduct.
Ramaphosa has denied wrongdoing over the scandal, which has been dubbed “Farmgate” by the media, and challenged the report in court. He has not been charged with any crime, but some opponents have called for his resignation.
Should he survive, Ramaphosa will need to resuscitate a party that is less popular than at any time since Nelson Mandela led it to victory in South Africa’s first free elections in 1994 – or risk losing its majority in parliament.
Last month the report by a panel of experts found preliminary evidence he may have violated the constitution over a stash of foreign currency hidden at his private game farm.
The report was a blow for a man who narrowly won his ANC mandate in 2017 on a promise to clean up endemic corruption.
“Whatever happens to Ramaphosa … he will find it increasingly difficult to retain that corruption-busting credibility, even if he escapes the worst,” said Daniel Silke, director of Political Futures Consultancy.
