South African president awaits party decision on his fate

Dec 4, 2022, 9:16 AM | Updated: 9:41 am
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa speaks to the media after leaving an African National Congr...

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa speaks to the media after leaving an African National Congress (ANC) National Executive Committee meeting in Johannesburg, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022. The meeting is being held to discuss the future of Ramaphosa as calls continue for his resignation over a scandal over money stolen from his farm. (AP Photo)

(AP Photo)

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa looked relaxed and shared a joke with journalists as he made a brief appearance Sunday at a meeting of the African National Congress party’s national working committee, which is discussing his political fate.

Ramaphosa’s future hangs in the balance as he faces calls from within the ANC and from opposition parties to step down from his position amid a scandal involving the president’s animal farm.

Ramaphosa was recused from Sunday’s meeting of the ruling ANC, which came days after an independent parliamentary panel issued a report that suggested he may have broken anti-corruption laws.

The report follows a criminal complaint laid by the country’s former head of intelligence, Arthur Fraser, who has accused Ramaphosa of money laundering related to the theft of a large sum of cash from his farm in 2020.

The president has denied any wrongdoing in the matter. Addressing journalists briefly on Sunday, he noted it was ANC tradition that someone should be recused from a meeting that deals with issues that affect them personally.

However, Ramaphosa confirmed he planned to attend a Monday meeting of ANC’s national executive committee, its highest decision-making body within conferences. The executive committee is tasked with making a final decision on Ramaphosa’s future in the party.

“Tomorrow I will attend the national executive committee meeting as well, that is how everything will flow. After that it is up to the NEC, to which I am accountable, to make a decision,” Ramaphosa said.

Ramaphosa’s spokesman, Vincent Magwenya did not respond to questions Sunday regarding reports that Ramaphosa had no intention of resigning from his position and planned to challenge the findings of the report.

South African lawmakers are expected to debate the independent report on Tuesday and then vote on whether further action should be taken against the president, including whether to proceed with impeachment proceedings.

The report questioned his explanation that the money was from the sale of buffaloes to a Sudanese businessman, asking why the animals remained at the farm more than two years later.

It also said Ramaphosa put himself into a situation of conflict of interest, saying the evidence presented to it “establishes that the president may be guilty of a serious violation of certain sections of the constitution.”

___

Follow AP’s coverage of Cyril Ramaphosa’s presidency: https://apnews.com/hub/cyril-ramaphosa

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


              South African President Cyril Ramaphosa speaks to the media after leaving an African National Congress (ANC) National Executive Committee meeting in Johannesburg, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022. The meeting is being held to discuss the future of Ramaphosa as calls continue for his resignation over a scandal over money stolen from his farm. (AP Photo)
            
              South African President Cyril Ramaphosa speaks to the media after leaving an African National Congress (ANC) National Executive Committee meeting in Johannesburg, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022. The meeting is being held to discuss the future of Ramaphosa as calls continue for his resignation over a scandal over money stolen from his farm. (AP Photo)

AP

Haitian migrant Gerson Solay, 28, carries his daughter, Bianca, as he and his family cross into Can...
Associated Press

US, Canada to end loophole that allows asylum-seekers to move between countries

President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday announced a plan to close a loophole to an immigration agreement.
2 days ago
Expert skateboarder Di'Orr Greenwood, an artist born and raised in the Navajo Nation in Arizona and...
Associated Press

Indigenous skateboard art featured on new stamps unveiled at Phoenix skate park

The Postal Service unveiled the “Art of the Skateboard" stamps at a Phoenix skate park, featuring designs from Indigenous artists.
2 days ago
(Facebook Photo/City of San Luis, Arizona)...
Associated Press

San Luis authorities receive complaints about 911 calls going across border

Authorities in San Luis say they are receiving more complaints about 911 calls mistakenly going across the border.
8 days ago
(Pexels Photo)...
Associated Press

Daylight saving time begins in most of US this weekend

No time change is observed in Hawaii, most of Arizona, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas.
16 days ago
Mexican army soldiers prepare a search mission for four U.S. citizens kidnapped by gunmen in Matamo...
Associated Press

How the 4 abducted Americans in Mexico were located

The anonymous tip that led Mexican authorities to a remote shack where four abducted Americans were held described armed men and blindfolds.
16 days ago
Tom Brundy points to a newly built irrigation canal on one of the fields at his farm Tuesday, Feb. ...
Associated Press

Southwest farmers reluctant to idle farmland to save water

There is a growing sense that fallowing will have to be part of the solution to the increasingly desperate drought in the West.
23 days ago

Sponsored Articles

(Photo: OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center)...

Here’s what you need to know about OCD and where to find help

It's fair to say that most people know what obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders generally are, but there's a lot more information than meets the eye about a mental health diagnosis that affects about one in every 100 adults in the United States.
(Desert Institute for Spine Care in Arizona Photo)...
Desert Institute for Spine Care in Arizona

5 common causes for chronic neck pain

Neck pain can debilitate one’s daily routine, yet 80% of people experience it in their lives and 20%-50% deal with it annually.
...
Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing

Prep the plumbing in your home just in time for the holidays

With the holidays approaching, it's important to know when your home is in need of heating and plumbing updates before more guests start to come around.
South African president awaits party decision on his fate