Middle East & Africa | Ranch of government

A sofa stuffed with cash imperils South Africa’s president

Cyril Ramaphosa’s political future hangs in the balance

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA ? NOVEMBER 03: President Cyril Ramaphosa answers questions in the National Assembly at the Good Hope Building of Parliament on November 03, 2022 in Cape Town, South Africa. President Cyril Ramaphosa engaged with members of the National Assembly on key national issues, including stabilising the supply of electricity to households and industry. (Photo by Jaco Marais/Die Burger/Gallo Images via Getty Images)
|JOHANNESBURG

Last month Cyril Ramaphosa was on a state visit to Britain, beaming under the chandeliers of Buckingham Palace. South Africa’s president was in a buoyant mood. He was being wooed abroad. At home he was the clear favourite to retain the presidency of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) at the party’s national conference beginning on December 16th—and thus, in all probability, leadership of the country for the rest of the decade.

This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Ranch of government”

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