JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A South African court ordered a halt to impeachment proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa over a scandal involving over $580 000 of cash stolen from his farm in 2020.
The Western Cape High Court judgment on Friday does not stop the impeachment committee from doing other preparatory work for the pending proceedings.
Lawmakers had started impeachment proceedings in June after a damning parliamentary report concluded the president had a case to answer regarding the handling of the theft, including why such large amounts of cash were kept in a sofa at the farm.
The inquiry also includes questions over the source of the money, whether the foreign currency was legally declared and why he did not immediately report the theft to the police.
Ramaphosa is challenging the report in court and applied for the impeachment proceedings to be halted until the process to review the report is complete.
Ramaphosa welcomed Friday’s judgment, according to his office, which said he would “cooperate with and abide by processes of accountability.”
“The President reaffirms his respect of judicial independence and separation of powers enshrined in our Constitution,” the office said in statement.
The so-called “Phala-Phala scandal” has been one of Ramaphosa's major political headaches since he became the country's leader in 2018.
The country's Constitutional Court, the highest in the country, ruled earlier this year that the parliamentary report was valid and impeachment proceedings could proceed after the ANC had won a parliamentary vote to block it.
The impeachment committee includes representatives from all political parties in the country’s Parliament. Most parties said Friday they would study the judgment and consider whether to appeal.
FILE - South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa speaks with journalists after meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at Planalto Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, on, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Luis Nova, FILE)
MURCHISON FALLS NATIONAL PARK, Uganda (AP) — On a cold morning in Uganda’s largest national park, rangers chat and sing to lift their spirits ahead of the start of a daunting wildlife project considered critical to conservation: moving the Nubian giraffe to a new home.
Rangers at Murchison Falls National Park on Tuesday began to translocate 12 endangered Nubian giraffes, Earth's tallest land mammal, 106 kilometers (65 miles) to Ajai Wildlife Reserve. The project, expected to last a couple of days, is intended to preserve the species’ population, enhance biodiversity and diversify tourism opportunities.
An estimated 40% of Uganda’s oil deposits are in the Murchison Falls area and within the park. In recent months, there have been increased oil drilling activities including heavy machinery movement through the national park despite years of opposition from environmentalists.
Uganda is pushing to produce its first oil from the area. In June 2023, TotalEnergies officially began drilling for oil in the Tilenga project area within the park.
Patrick Atimnedi, the Uganda Wildlife Authority assistant commissioner for veterinary services who led Tuesday's giraffe translocation, said establishing new animal populations in other protected areas will reduce pressure on the current habitat if there is significant damage from drilling.
Uganda wants to expand the range of the critically endangered giraffes because of oil and gas activities, tourism development, climate change, bush encroachment and invasive species, he said.
"This is shrinking the habitat of wildlife here, but especially giraffes,” Atimnedi said of the animals that can grow up to 6 meters (20 feet) tall and weigh up to 2,000 kilograms (4,400 pounds).
“So having a seed population somewhere about 100 kilometers (62 miles) away from here within the same conservation area, the same zone, is the right conservation decision to make,” he said.
After a final briefing from Atimnedi, the exercise kicked off as officials directed three giraffes into waiting trucks, where tree branches were mounted for the giraffes to chew during the journey.
At Ajai Wildlife Reserve, a dozen rangers awaited their arrival. The animals could not wait to get off the trucks and into their new 166-square-kilometer (64-square-mile) home. The reserve once had a diverse wildlife population but was wiped out in the early 1980s because of rampant poaching and prolonged insecurity in the country.
The introduction of the Nubian giraffes to the reserve is part of an ongoing ecological restoration effort. In addition to the giraffes, other wild animals such as southern white rhinos, buffalo, zebras and hundreds of Uganda kobs are being reintroduced.
“The animals are now doing very well and are multiplying. Many are now pregnant. They are spreading all over the reserve, both inside the electric fence and outside the electric fence,” said Wilson Katamigwa, the Ajai Wildlife Reserve senior warden in charge.
Wildlife authorities are optimistic that Ajai, established in 1937, will serve as a new home for their work to increase Uganda's wild animal population despite pressures from human activity and nature that threaten their conservation.
Part of the reserve is being fenced and the number of rangers has increased to protect the animals from poachers. Area communities, which receive a share of the tourism revenues, have been educated about the importance of conservation.
“They are ready to conserve with us, and we are having a good working relationship with the district leadership,” Katamigwa said.
When the giraffe translocation is complete, members of the communities will be invited to the reserve to see the animals, which have been extinct in the area for decades, he said.
“The big dream is that we want to see the economy of this place growing bigger and bigger and for the Madi Okollo district to be included in the money economy using tourism,” Katamigwa said.
As the giraffes walked off the trucks, Moses Ayoti could not hide his excitement about having the animals near his home and the benefits they will bring to the environment.
“The community is aware, the vigilance is high, and I am sure they are going to take care of the animals because they belong to the local community, too,” Ayoti said.
Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) rangers and veterinarians restrain a sedated Nubian giraffe during its translocation from Murchison Falls National Park to Ajai Wildlife Reserve near Arua, northwestern Uganda, Wednesday, July 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda)
Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) rangers and veterinarians release Nubian giraffes during their translocation from Murchison Falls National Park to Ajai Wildlife Reserve near Arua, northwestern Uganda, Tuesday, July 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda)
Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers and veterinarians restrain a sedated Nubian giraffe with its eyes covered by a cloth during translocation from Murchison Falls National Park to Ajai Wildlife Reserve, near Arua, northwestern Uganda, Wednesday, July 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda)
A truck carrying Nubian giraffes is parked as Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) rangers prepare for their translocation from Murchison Falls National Park to Ajai Wildlife Reserve northwestern Uganda, Tuesday, July 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda)
Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers and veterinarians restrain a sedated Nubian giraffe with its eyes covered by a cloth during translocation from Murchison Falls National Park to Ajai Wildlife Reserve, near Arua, northwestern Uganda, Wednesday, July 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda)
