The ruling party in South Africa on Monday (December 5th) gave full support to President Cyril Ramaphosa, in the turmoil after a scandal, announcing that its members in Parliament, where they are the majority, will vote against a procedure for impeachment of the leader of State.

The National Executive Committee (NEC) at the head of the party "has decided that it will vote against the adoption of the parliamentary report" which overwhelms the head of state and whose conclusions have paved the way for an impeachment procedure, has said the secretary general of the African National Congress (ANC), Paul Mashatile, during a press conference following a meeting of senior party officials in Johannesburg.

"If Parliament starts the process tomorrow, the ANC will not support the vote," he said.

Parliament meets in extraordinary session on Tuesday to decide whether or not to launch an impeachment procedure.

The ANC, despite strong divisions, nevertheless holds a comfortable majority.

Cyril Ramaphosa, who had considered throwing in the towel according to several political sources, ended up changing his mind and ruling out the possibility of a resignation over the weekend, ending several days of uncertainty.

A criminal investigation is underway.

The president has not been charged at this stage.

Cyril Ramaphosa will also fight on the political ground for his retention and a second term, said his spokesperson.

A smiling Cyril Ramaphosa

The ANC meets on December 16 to appoint its next president in 2024, if however the party, increasingly contested, wins the legislative elections.

Majority in Parliament since 1994, the ANC, weighed down by corruption and a war of factions, has chosen the head of state since the advent of South African democracy.

Relaxed and all smiles, Cyril Ramaphosa appeared for a short time Monday at the conference center where the meeting of the executive body of the ANC was held.

The debates were then held without him.

He was greeted by a handful of supporters in ANC colours, in green, black and gold, carrying signs reading "Ramaphosa is our president".

A few of his detractors were also present, demanding his resignation.

The parliamentary report has been widely criticized by legal experts, arguing that its conclusions are based on "hearsay" and multiply assumptions.

But the text also raises real questions about the president's version of events.

According to him, the stolen cash came from the sale to a Sudanese businessman of twenty buffaloes.

But why was the money not deposited in a bank?

And why are the buffaloes sold still on the property of the president nearly three years later?

“There are serious doubts as to whether the stolen foreign currency actually came from their sale,” the report concludes.

The first opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), reiterated its demand for early elections.

The radical left-wing Fighters for Economic Freedom (EFF) party has for its part demanded that Cyril Ramaphosa be “arrested”.

With AFP

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