South Africa's Constitutional Court on Friday reopened the door to impeachment proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa, invalidating a 2022 Assembly vote that had opposed it.

The Assembly, then dominated by the president's ANC party, rejected a report concluding that Cyril Ramaphosa "may have committed" unlawful acts, in connection with a major theft of cash hidden in a sofa on his farm in Phala Phala (northeast), where he raises cattle.

Parliament then voted against opening impeachment proceedings against him.

This vote by the Assembly "is incompatible with the Constitution, invalid and annulled," said the president of the Constitutional Court, Mandisa Maya, who was examining a complaint filed by the radical left-wing party EFF.

Cyril Ramaphosa, now 73 years old, was very close to resigning at the time, according to the press.

In the scandal known as "Phala Phala," the president acknowledged a burglary but denied accusations from a former intelligence chief that he had the thieves kidnapped to cover up the crime. He maintained that he had reported the break-in to the police and explained that the money came from the sale of 20 buffaloes for $580,000.

The prosecution had dropped the money laundering and corruption charges in this case in October 2024, believing that "there was no reasonable prospect of conviction".

Cyril Ramaphosa is a former activist from the time of the struggle against apartheid who became a businessman before returning to politics and becoming president in 2018.

EFF leader Julius Malema said he was "very pleased that the Constitution prevailed." "It is up to the ANC to decide whether it wants to be led by a president over whom such a cloud hangs," he added, "a president who will have to answer very tough and thorough questions during the impeachment proceedings."

Unlike in 2022, the ANC no longer holds an absolute majority in the Assembly. With only 40% of the seats since the 2024 elections, Nelson Mandela's party has been forced into a temporary alliance with long-standing opponents, such as the center-right Democratic Alliance (DA), which holds 21% of the vote in the chamber.