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South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa
Photo: Themba Hadebe / dpa
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is under heavy pressure, has ruled out resigning.
"President Ramaphosa is not resigning or resigning on the basis of an erroneous report," his spokesman Vincent Magwenya said on Saturday.
Ramaphosa also wants to take legal action against impending impeachment proceedings.
According to his spokesman, the president is considering challenging the report of a committee of inquiry in court.
Ramaphosa has been under intense pressure since the investigative report into an alleged robbery at his farm was released on Wednesday.
According to the parliamentary committee of inquiry, it found enough evidence of misconduct by Ramaphosa to justify the initiation of impeachment proceedings.
Archbishop: Country faces 'anarchy' if Ramaphosa resigns
After Thursday it was still expected that he would resign or be removed from office, many influential representatives from politics, business and the church supported him on Friday.
The head of the Anglican Church in South Africa, Archbishop Thabo Makgoba, even warned that the country risked descending into "anarchy" if he resigned.
The executive board of Ramaphosa's African National Congress (ANC) party held an emergency meeting on Friday, but quickly adjourned.
Another meeting is scheduled for Monday.
Parliament meets on Tuesday for a special session.
560,000 euros allegedly from the buffalo trade
The investigative report concerns Ramaphosa's role in an alleged robbery at his Phala Phala country estate in February 2020. A former intelligence chief accused Ramaphosa in June of hiding $4 million in cash in his luxurious mansion.
After a burglary at his farm, Ramaphosa is said to have organized the kidnapping and bribing of the burglars so that it would remain secret that he had stored so much money there.
Ramaphosa, on the other hand, claims he was robbed of the equivalent of €560,000, which was hidden under his sofa cushions.
This sum was paid to him by a Sudanese man who bought buffalo from his farm.
Ramaphosa dismissed the allegations of his own misconduct before the committee of inquiry as "completely unfounded".
The scandal comes at the worst possible time for Ramaphosa: the 70-year-old wants to be confirmed as chairman of the ANC in mid-December.
Re-election as party leader would also pave the way for a second term as president.
His spokesman stressed on Saturday that the party had nominated Ramaphosa for a second term at the head of the ANC.
The President "took this unmistakable message to heart," said Magwenya.
"The President's understanding of this message is that he should continue with both government and economic reforms," he added.
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