South African President Ramaphosa Dodges Impeachment

Members of Parliament in South Africa voted against the impeachment motion of the Current President of South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa. The South African lawmakers voted to reject a report by a panel of experts that found President Ramaphosa guilty of covering up the theft of one large sum of foreign currency hidden at his private game farm.

President Cyril Ramaphosa will not face an impeachment inquiry after his ruling African National Congress (ANC) party defeated the motion by 214 votes to 148, with two abstentions through opening voting. The 70-year-old president denied wrongdoing over the scandal, which has been dubbed "Farmgate" by the media.

Four ANC Members of Parliament, however, showed their opposition to President Ramaphosa by voting in favor of impeachment and a few more did not show up for the vote.

“We think that the President has a case to answer on the origin of the foreign currency that was stolen, as well as the underlying transaction for it”. the panel said.

But in a nightmare for the President, robbers, allegedly working in cahoots with one of his employees, stole what is "speculated" to be somewhere between $4m (£3.3m) and $8m. The removal of President Ramaphosa could have thrown Africa's most industrialized country into a state of political instability.