Constitutional Court

South Africa's highest court that ruled parliament violated constitutional procedures in blocking impeachment proceedings against President Ramaphosa over the Farmgate scandal.

2026-05-082026-07-30

In coverage

Verbatim sentences from the source article.

May 2026
13 MayJoy Online
… The Constitutional Court said that allowing unlimited repeat applications without proper legislation in place could create a “never-ending cycle” that prevents deportations and causes administrative chaos. …
South Africa’s top court bars repeat asylum applications
12 MayJoy Online
… A Constitutional Court ruling last week found that parliament acted unconstitutionally when it voted against establishing an impeachment inquiry against Ramaphosa regarding the Phala Phala report in 2022. …
South African president says he will not step down after impeachment call
11 MayJoy Online
… In a televised address to the nation, Ramaphosa said he respected a constitutional court ruling that revived impeachment proceedings against him last week but pledged to defend himself. …
South Africa’s Ramaphosa faces down calls to resign over cash-in-sofa scandal
11 MayJoy Online
… CASH STUFFED IN FURNITURE ON RAMAPHOSA’S RANCH In 2022, the ANC blocked the impeachment process through a vote in parliament, but the Constitutional Court said on Friday that the vote was invalid and an impeachment committee should be set up to further probe allegations related …
South Africa’s Ramaphosa to address nation over scandal threatening his job
8 MayJoy Online
Leading South African opposition figure Julius Malema has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to resign after the Constitutional Court ruled that parliament had violated the constitution by blocking moves to impeach him in 2022. …
South Africa president faces call to resign after court ruling

World & Region

South Africa court halts impeachment inquiry into Ramaphosa farmgate

The News

A South African court has ruled in favour of President Cyril Ramaphosa's bid to temporarily halt a parliamentary impeachment inquiry over the "Farmgate" scandal, in which burglars stole large sums of cash hidden in a sofa from his private farm in 2022. The halt is pending the court's determination of Ramaphosa's separate legal challenge to the independent panel's findings, which parliament had previously shelved before being ordered by the Constitutional Court in May to revive the impeachment process.

27 July 2026 · Joy Online →

Monday 27 July

South Africa court halts impeachment inquiry into Ramaphosa farmgate
A South African court has ruled in favour of President Cyril Ramaphosa's bid to temporarily halt a parliamentary impeachment inquiry over the "Farmgate" scandal, in which burglars stole large sums of cash hidden in a sofa from his private farm in 2022. The halt is pending the court's determination of Ramaphosa's separate legal challenge to the independent panel's findings, which parliament had previously shelved before being ordered by the Constitutional Court in May to revive the impeachment process.
27 July 2026 · Joy Online →

Thursday 23 July

South Korean court acquits woman of newborn murder charge
A South Korean appeals court has acquitted a woman previously convicted of murdering a baby she delivered in hospital after seeking to terminate her pregnancy at 36 weeks, though the two doctors involved had their murder convictions upheld with reduced sentences. The case has sparked debate about South Korea's abortion laws.
23 July 2026 · Joy Online →

Wednesday 15 July

South Korean court sentences ex-president to two years for poll manipulation
A South Korean court sentenced ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol to two years in prison for illegally receiving manipulated opinion polls from a political broker, which potentially aided his 2022 presidential bid. The case is one of seven trials facing Yoon, who was impeached last year after imposing martial law in December 2024.
15 July 2026 · The Ghanaian Times →

Sunday 12 July

Senegal's top court strikes down parliament's constitutional reform
Senegal's Constitutional Court ruled that an amendment adopted by parliament on June 29 was unconstitutional, striking down changes that would have prohibited a sitting president from leading a political party. The ruling came after President Bassirou Diomaye Faye requested the court review lawmakers' procedures, amid tensions between him and parliament speaker Ousmane Sonko over the reform.
12 July 2026 · Joy Online →

Friday 19 June

Zimbabwe parliament passes bill extending president's term to seven years
Zimbabwe's lower house has passed legislation to extend presidential terms from five to seven years, allowing President Emmerson Mnangagwa to remain in power until 2030. The bill, which also scraps direct presidential elections in favour of parliamentary selection, secured 216 votes in Thursday's vote, exceeding the two-thirds majority threshold required to amend the constitution.
19 June 2026 · Joy Online →

Saturday 6 June

South Africa's Ramaphosa faces impeachment over farmgate scandal
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa faces possible removal from office as MPs establish a committee to recommend whether he should be impeached over a 2020 robbery at his private farm where $580,000 in cash was allegedly stolen from a sofa. The scandal, which surfaced publicly in 2022 through former spy chief Arthur Fraser's allegations that Ramaphosa hid the theft from police and tax authorities, has escalated after the country's highest court ruled that MPs had unconstitutionally blocked earlier impeachment moves.
6 June 2026 · Joy Online →

Friday 5 June

President Mahama faces decision on anti-LGBTQ bill
Parliament passed the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill on May 29, shifting focus to whether President Mahama will assent to it. Though he indicated during campaigning that he would sign such a bill, his position has become more cautious since taking office; he has suggested alternative approaches like moral education, preferred a government-sponsored bill, and raised concerns about procedural irregularities in the bill's passage.
5 June 2026 · Joy Online →

Wednesday 3 June

Zimbabwe bills to extend Mnangagwa presidency to 2030
Zimbabwe's government introduced legislation to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa's term by two years to 2030 by amending the constitution to extend presidential terms from five years to seven years and allow presidents to be elected by parliament rather than direct popular vote. The ruling ZANU-PF party, which holds a two-thirds majority in the lower house, is expected to pass the bill despite opposition from retired military officials and liberation war veterans.
3 June 2026 · Joy Online →

Monday 25 May

Senegal president dismisses PM Sonko, signals IMF-focused pivot
Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye dissolved his government late Friday, dismissing Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko in what marks a shift from populist ideological resistance toward fiscal pragmatism amid a sovereign debt crisis. The move ends a dual-executive arrangement between the two former Pastef allies who had campaigned on the slogan "Diomaye is Sonko, Sonko is Diomaye."
25 May 2026 · Joy Online →
Benin's Wadagni inaugurated, pledges security and living standards
Romuald Wadagni took office as Benin's president on Sunday after winning the April 12 election with more than 94% of the vote. He vowed to address rising jihadist threats in the north and ensure economic growth improves everyday life through job creation and social protection.
25 May 2026 · Joy Online →

Wednesday 13 May

South Africa's top court bars repeat asylum applications
South Africa's Constitutional Court ruled that foreign nationals cannot reapply for asylum once rejected, saying unlimited repeat applications could create administrative chaos and prevent deportations. The ruling ended a case brought by two Burundians who had reapplied after their 2014 rejections, arguing changed circumstances warranted reconsideration.
13 May 2026 · Joy Online →

Tuesday 12 May

South African president rejects impeachment call, vows legal challenge
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa says he will not resign and will legally challenge a report paving the way for parliament to consider impeachment proceedings against him over theft from his private farm. The Constitutional Court ruled last week that parliament acted unconstitutionally in 2022 when it voted against establishing an impeachment inquiry into the Phala Phala scandal, in which thousands of dollars were stolen from furniture at his game farm.
12 May 2026 · Joy Online →

Monday 11 May

South Africa's Ramaphosa refuses to resign over cash scandal
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa rejected calls to resign following a scandal in which thieves stole foreign currency hidden in a sofa on his ranch. A Constitutional Court ruling has revived impeachment proceedings against him, but Ramaphosa said the judgment does not compel him to resign and pledged to defend himself against misconduct allegations.
11 May 2026 · Joy Online →
South Africa's Ramaphosa to address nation over impeachment scandal
President Cyril Ramaphosa will address South Africans after a court revived impeachment proceedings against him over a scandal involving foreign cash stolen from his ranch. The Constitutional Court ruled that a previous ANC parliamentary vote blocking impeachment was invalid, and analysts expect Ramaphosa to defend himself.
11 May 2026 · Joy Online →

Friday 8 May

South African court rules parliament violated constitution over impeachment
South Africa's Constitutional Court ruled that parliament unconstitutionally blocked impeachment proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2022, following a legal challenge by opposition parties. The ruling could prompt fresh impeachment proceedings; Ramaphosa had denied wrongdoing after a 2022 panel suggested he may have a case to answer regarding over $500,000 in cash stolen from his home.
8 May 2026 · Joy Online →