South Africa's African National Congress (ANC) has publicly backed President Cyril Ramaphosa following a Constitutional Court ruling regarding the impeachment process.

This support comes at a critical juncture for the administration as it faces legal challenges over the "farmgate" scandal. The ruling party's decision to stand by the president aims to stabilize the executive branch amid opposition efforts to remove him from office.

The Constitutional Court issued its ruling on May 8, 2026 [1]. The court found that parliament had acted unconstitutionally during the impeachment process. While some interpretations suggest the ruling allows for the revival of impeachment proceedings, the ANC leadership maintains that the judgment does not mandate a change in leadership.

Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula and the ANC's top decision-making body announced their support for Ramaphosa on May 15, 2026 [2]. The party executive said that the court's findings do not obligate the president to step down from his position.

The legal battle centers on whether the parliamentary process followed the necessary constitutional requirements to hold the president accountable. By asserting that the judgment is not a directive for resignation, the ANC is attempting to close the door on immediate leadership transitions within the party.

The president continues to lead the government in Johannesburg while the party manages the political fallout from the court's determination that parliament's previous actions were flawed.

“The ANC’s top body publicly backed President Cyril Ramaphosa.”

The ANC's swift endorsement of President Ramaphosa suggests the party is prioritizing political stability over the legal ambiguities of the court's ruling. While the Constitutional Court identified procedural failures in parliament, the ANC is interpreting the lack of an explicit resignation order as a mandate to maintain the status quo, effectively shielding the president from immediate impeachment efforts.