‘I will not resign’ – Ramaphosa

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa says he will contest a report that criticised his handling of a robbery at his farm in 2020 – after a ruling by the nation’s top court resurrected the scandal – and has rejected calls to stand down.

“I will not resign,” he said during a televised address on Monday.

“To do so would be to give credence to a panel report that unfortunately has grave flaws.”

The Constitutional Court on 8 May ruled that lawmakers erred four years ago when they failed to establish an impeachment committee to look into how Ramaphosa dealt with the theft of foreign exchange hidden in a sofa on his game farm.

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Ramaphosa says he will ask the courts to overturn the findings of an advisory panel that examined the incident and found that his conduct may have breached the Constitution.

Earlier on Monday, the speaker of parliament announced that she would submit the report, which will form the basis of an impeachment committee’s investigation, to the National Assembly.

Impeachment stands little chance of success as it would require a two-thirds majority of the chamber to pass, and Ramaphosa’s African National Congress (ANC) party holds 40% of its seats.

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But it is increasingly viewed as intensifying political pressure on the president, as the ANC braces for challenging local elections later this year.

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This has fuelled speculation that he might choose to step down – an idea Ramaphosa firmly dismissed in his national address.

“To resign now would be to give in to those who seek to reverse the renewal of our society, the rebuilding of our institutions and the prosecution of corruption,” he said.

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