eFinder

eFinder

Home › Government corruption › Article

Can South Africa's president Ramaphosa avoid impeachment?

Deutsche Welle · · 1085 words · By Benita van Eyssen
Government corruption Political Instability Legal Accountability
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dw.com/en/can-south-africas-president-ramaphosa-avoid-impeachment-ag…

psychologyDetected Techniques

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
warning
Name Calling / Labeling 70% confidence
Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

19 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

schedule Pending 9
check_circle Corroborated 5
info Single Source 4
help Insufficient Evidence 1
check_circle
“South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is... facing an impeachment process”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources (CNBC Africa/Reuters and other web results) confirm that President Cyril Ramaphosa is facing impeachment proceedings related to the 'Farmgate' scandal.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa ( RAM-ə-FAW-sə or RAH-mə-POH-sə; born 17 November 1952) is a South African businessman and politician serving as the president of South Africa since 2018. A former anti-apar…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyril_Ramaphosa
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Second cabinet of Cyril Ramaphosa was the cabinet of the government of South Africa between 29 May 2019 and 19 June 2024. It was formed by President Ramaphosa after the 2019 general election and d…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_cabinet_of_Cyril_Ramaph…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The third cabinet of Cyril Ramaphosa, also known as the Government of National Unity (GNU), is the incumbent cabinet of the Government of South Africa. It was appointed on 30 June 2024 after the May 2…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_cabinet_of_Cyril_Ramapho…
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
“he announced on Monday that he will not resign and said he will challenge the impeachment proceedings against him”
CORROBORATED
Africanews and other web results confirm that Ramaphosa announced on a Monday that he will not resign and intends to challenge the proceedings.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2020 Phala Phala Robbery or Cyril Ramaphosa Farm Burglary or Farmgate Scandal was a burglary of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's private Phala Phala game farm near Bela-Bela, Limpopo, Sou…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Phala_Phala_Robbery
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 54th National Conference of the African National Congress (ANC) took place from 16 to 20 December 2017 at the Johannesburg Expo Centre in Nasrec, Gauteng. At the conference, the ANC elected its Na…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/54th_National_Conference_of_th…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Lonmin plc, formerly Lonrho plc, was a British producer of platinum group metals operating in the Bushveld Complex of South Africa. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange. Its registered office wa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonmin
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
“Parliament signaled it will restart the impeachment process”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results and local media reports indicate that the South African parliament is set to restart the impeachment process following a court ruling.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — General elections were held in South Africa on 29 May 2024 to elect a new National Assembly as well as the provincial legislature in each of the nine provinces. This was the seventh general election h…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_South_African_general_ele…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 28th South African Parliament is the seventh Parliament of South Africa to convene since the introduction of non-racial government in South Africa in 1994. It was elected in the general election o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/28th_South_African_Parliament
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The third cabinet of Cyril Ramaphosa, also known as the Government of National Unity (GNU), is the incumbent cabinet of the Government of South Africa. It was appointed on 30 June 2024 after the May 2…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_cabinet_of_Cyril_Ramapho…
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
“the May 8 Constitutional Court judgment that overturned the "No" vote by lawmakers in 2022 on whether an impeachment process should start”
CORROBORATED
Web search results confirm that on May 8, the Constitutional Court overturned the 2022 decision by lawmakers to reject the report, thereby reviving the impeachment process.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Constitutional Court of South Africa is the supreme constitutional court established by the Constitution of South Africa, and is the apex court in the South African judicial system, with general j…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_Court_of_South_…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Government of the Republic of South Africa and Others v Grootboom and Others is an important case in South African law, heard in the Constitutional Court on 11 May 2000, with judgment handed down on 4…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_the_Republic_of_…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — In law, South African constitutional litigation is the area dealing with the rules and principles concerning constitutional matters in the country of South Africa. It includes the jurisdiction of the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_constitutional_l…
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“the Parliament announced that it would begin setting up a new Section 89 impeachment committee”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the general context of the court ruling and the restart of the process is corroborated, the specific announcement regarding the 'setting up of a new Section 89 committee' is mentioned in the context of the news but not explicitly detailed across multiple independent sources in the provided evidence.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Pan-African Parliament (PAP), also known as the African Parliament, is the legislative body of the African Union. It held its inaugural session in March 2004. The Parliament exercises oversight, a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan-African_Parliament
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 2 February 1990, the State President of South Africa F. W. de Klerk delivered a speech at the opening of the 1990 session of the Parliament of South Africa in Cape Town in which he announced sweepi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speech_at_the_Opening_of_the_P…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Union of South Africa (Dutch: Unie van Zuid-Afrika; Afrikaans: Unie van Suid-Afrika, ) was a British Dominion and, later, a Commonwealth realm in southern Africa from 1910 to 1961. It was the his…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_of_South_Africa
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“Section 89 is the part of South Africa's Constitution that sets out how a president can be removed from office”
SINGLE SOURCE
Multiple legal and academic sources explicitly state that Section 89 of the South African Constitution regulates the removal of the President from office.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The constitution of the Republic of South Africa is quite clear on the circumstance of the removal from office, the president or executive deputy president. Section 89(1) of the constitution states: R…
https://businesstech.co.za/news/trending/118660/south-africa…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Section 89 of the Constitution regulates the removal from office of the President.Section 89 governs presidential removal, highlighting ambiguities in the grounds for impeachment and no-confidence mot…
https://www.academia.edu/64665967/The_removal_from_office_of…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Section 89 empowers the National Assembly to remove the President from office on the grounds of: (a) a serious violation of the Constitution or the law; (b) serious misconduct; or (c) an inability to …
https://ohrh.law.ox.ac.uk/the-bogey-of-judicial-overreach-in…
info
“the 2022 Section 89 panel report that found prima facie evidence that he may have violated the constitution or committed misconduct”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence provided for this specific claim consists of results about Malcolm X, which are completely irrelevant to the claim about the Section 89 panel report.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Explore The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley. Read the summary and analysis, and review the importance of the Civil Rights leader's autobiography.
https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-autobiography-of-malcol…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — After reading 'The Autobiography of Malcolm X' with your high school students, use these questions to help guide students in thinking critically about the text and the Civil Rights Movement.
https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-autobiography-of-malcol…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Malcolm X was an influential civil rights leader. He dedicated his life to working to further the rights of African Americans and was a member and spokesperson for the Nation of Islam, speaking ...
https://study.com/learn/lesson/malcolm-x-biography-speeches-…
info
“The African Transformation Movement (ATM)... had taken the matter to the Constitutional Court”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence provided for this claim consists of general information about the continent of Africa and its countries, which does not mention the African Transformation Movement (ATM) or the Constitutional Court case.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — African nations cooperate through the establishment of the African Union, which is headquartered in Addis Ababa. Africa is highly biodiverse; [17] it is the continent with the largest number of megafa…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Description: This Map of Africa shows seas, country boundaries, countries, capital cities, major cities, islands and lakes in Africa. Size: 1600x1600px / 677 Kb | 1250x1250px / 421 Kb Author: Onthewor…
https://ontheworldmap.com/africa/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Sep 12, 2024 · A list of the countries in Africa in alphabetical order. Discover the sovereign nations, regions, and members of the United Nations.
https://factsinstitute.com/countries/countries-in-africa/
check_circle
“In 2022, the ANC still held a majority in Parliament”
CORROBORATED
Both BBC News and Al Jazeera independently confirm that the ANC held a majority in parliament in 2022.
compare_arrows
cross reference SUPPORTS — At that time Ramaphosa's African National Congress had a majority in parliament
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy4287vpvl7o?at_medium=RSS…
compare_arrows
cross reference SUPPORTS — At the time, the African National Congress (ANC) had a strong majority in parliament – with 230 seats out of 400.
https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2026/5/13/could-south-afr…
help
“a vote to impeach the president in South Africa requires a two-thirds majority vote in Parliament”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided or found in the search results regarding the specific voting threshold (two-thirds majority) for impeachment in South Africa.
schedule
“a no-confidence vote would require a simple majority”
PENDING
schedule
“Ramaphosa took over from the party's ousted leader Jacob Zuma in 2018”
PENDING
schedule
“In a 2024 general election, the ANC lost its outright control of Parliament”
PENDING
schedule
“The party was then forced to build a government of national unity with other parties, including the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA)”
PENDING
schedule
“The scandal centers on the alleged theft of a large sum of cash from Ramaphosa's Phala Phala Wildlife farm”
PENDING
schedule
“former spy chief Arthur Fraser went public with what he said was a theft of close on $4 million”
PENDING
schedule
“Ramaphosa admitted that he had $580,000 — the proceeds of the sale of buffalo to a Sudanese businessman — on the premises”
PENDING
schedule
“security officials had coordinated unlawful arrests in Namibia”
PENDING
schedule
“In September of that year, Parliament set up an independent Section 89 panel”
PENDING
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.