Top ANC official backs President Ramaphosa over ‘Farmgate’ scandal

A top official in South Africa's African National Congress party threw his weight behind President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday over the "Farmgate"

scandal in which thieves stole bundles of cash stuffed in a sofa on Ramaphosa's ranch.



Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula, in charge of the day-to-day running of the ANC, backed Ramaphosa at the start of a party meeting about how to handle the scandal.



The ANC blocked impeachment proceedings against Ramaphosa over Farmgate in 2022 but the constitutional court revived the process last week.



Mbalula told reporters that calls for Ramaphosa to step down were opportunistic, after Ramaphosa faced them down.