South Africa’s parliament on Tuesday voted against starting an impeachment process against President Cyril Ramaphosa, the speaker of parliament said.
Lawmakers voted to reject a report by a panel of experts that found preliminary evidence Ramaphosa may have committed misconduct.
Ramaphosa has denied wrongdoing over the scandal in which he is accused of illegally hiding at least $580,000 in cash in a sofa at his Phala Phala game ranch.
He has challenged the report in court and not been charged with any crime, but some opponents have called for his resignation.
According to the report, President Ramaphosa did not report the theft of the money to the police in order to avoid questions over how he got the foreign currency and why he had not declared it to authorities.
The report has brought Ramaphosa’s opponents – opposition parties and even rivals within his ANC party – to call for him to step down.
The parliamentary vote comes in a week where Ramaphosa will also be fighting for his political life as he seeks to be re-elected the leader of the ANC at its national conference starting in Johannesburg on Friday.
The conference will also elect members of the party’s National Executive Committee, which is the party’s highest decision-making body.
Ramaphosa must be re-elected as the ANC leader in order to stand for re-election to a second term as South Africa’s president in 2024.
BY ALJAZEERA NEWS