President Cyril Ramaphosa:

The Phala Phala scandal, which erupted in 2022, continued to dog President Cyril Ramaphosa throughout 2024. Allegations of foreign currency theft from his Phala Phala game farm, coupled with claims of a cover-up and failure to declare the funds to the South African Revenue Services (SARS), kept the president on the defensive. Opposition parties, particularly the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the African Transformation Movement (ATM), called for his resignation, accusing him of attempting to conceal the crime.

In a significant legal development, the EFF challenged Parliament’s decision not to pursue an impeachment inquiry into Ramaphosa’s actions. The EFF argued that the findings of an independent panel, led by former Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo, which called for an impeachment investigation, should trigger a full inquiry. However, the ANC’s parliamentary majority shielded the president from accountability, leaving many to question whether the country’s institutions were capable of holding its leaders to account.

The controversy surrounding SACP General Secretary Solly Mapaila intensified in 2024, as he publicly criticised the ANC's ongoing alliance with the Democratic Alliance (DA) amidst corruption scandals. Mapaila’s comments came at a time when the ANC was under fire for shielding Ramaphosa from consequences related to the Phala Phala scandal.

Although Mapaila's remarks were widely seen as an attempt to reinvigorate the ANC’s internal integrity, they were met with resistance from key party figures, including Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula, who described Mapaila’s statements as damaging to the party’s unity.

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2024 sees South African leaders in hot water over corruption allegations