Embattled South African president will not resign, says it is up to political party to decide fate

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Sunday that it was up to the leading executives of his political party to decide his fate, Reuters reported. Ramaphosa's remarks come one day after his spokesperson said the embattled president would not resign.

Speaking ahead of a meeting of his African National Congress (ANC) party, Ramaphosa said he would not take part in any ANC meetings, saying when a matter "affects a person personally that it should be discussed in their absence."

"It is up to the National Executive Committee [of the ANC], to which I am accountable, to take whatever decision it deems fit," Ramaphosa added.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

A spokesperson for the ANC told reporters it would make recommendations regarding the president's fate on Monday, though did not shed light on what those recommendations might be.

The president of South Africa since 2018, Ramaphosa first became embroiled in controversy earlier this year after allegations that he hid a theft of $4 million from his personal animal farm in 2020. Ramaphosa later admitted the money had been stolen, but said the figure was $580,000, not $4 million as alleged, BBC News reported.

Ramaphosa has said the money was originally obtained from the sale of buffalo on his farm, but an independent panel of legal experts formed to investigate the allegations have cast doubt on his story. Even as he awaits his fate, the panel has already said that Ramaphosa's actions may be grounds for impeachment, Bloomberg reported, and that he may have "committed serious misconduct and constitutional violations."