South Africa’s parliament will appoint an independent panel to recommend whether to initiate impeachment proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Parliament Speaker Nosiwe Mapisa-Nkakula said the panel would be appointed following a request by the opposition African Transformation Movement, according to a letter posted on the party’s Twitter account on Friday.
The decision comes as Ramaphosa comes under increasing pressure from opposition parties to step aside over a burglary two years ago at a farm he owns. The president is accused of concealing a crime. He declined to answer questions from opposition lawmakers about the incident, in which the former head of national intelligence said $4 million was stolen.
In a separate tweet on Friday, presidential spokesman Vincent Magwenya criticized the “mad rush” by opposition parties to smear Ramaphosa’s name “without any evidence”.
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