Cyril Ramaphosa is a criminal president who will resign if he faces an impeachment process – Prince Mashele

Political analyst Prince Mashele said Cyril Ramaphosa is a criminal president who is using every trick in the book to have another day in office.

Mashele shared his views during an interview on the State of the Nation podcast with host Mike Sham.

“President Ramaphosa is a criminal president. I don’t mince my words. He is not going to subject himself to an impeachment process. He will resign,” he said.

Mashele pointed to the $580,000, which amounted to around R10 million at the time, that was stolen from Ramaphosa’s farm, Phala Phala.

“That mere fact that he kept foreign money like that on his farm, let alone in his couch, is actually a crime in South Africa,” he said.

“So, the fact that he admits he kept money like that means he is a criminal president. That’s the most important thing for South Africans to keep in mind.”

Mashele argued that Ramaphosa’s ongoing court challenges against the independent panel’s findings are a calculated effort to evade justice.

“The criminal president is trying every trick in the legal book to have another day in office so that eventually he’s never arrested and he’s never tried,” he said.

He predicted that Ramaphosa would choose to step down rather than sit before a parliamentary committee.

“He is not going to subject himself to an impeachment process. He will resign. The moment he knows that he no longer has legal room to play, he will resign,” Mashele said.

He added that Ramaphosa has many skeletons in the closet, which he does not want to come out during any Parliamentary process.

“Cyril Ramaphosa is sitting on worms. He will never lift his body, because he does not want those worms to come out,” he said.

“If these worms were to come out, they would destroy him. They would also destroy the ANC.”

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s response to allegations and the Constitutional Court judgment

On Monday, 11 May 2026, Ramaphosa responded to the Constitutional Court judgment, which could result in an impeachment process.

He pointed to an independent panel that was appointed by the National Assembly in September 2022, which found that he may have committed serious misconduct.

The independent panel concluded that the President may have committed serious misconduct and a serious violation of the Constitution,” he said.

“I have consistently maintained that I have not stolen public money, committed any crime, nor violated my oath of office,” he said.

“From the beginning, I said I would cooperate with all institutions mandated to deal with these matters. I have indeed cooperated with all investigations and enquiries.”

He said that, as the court ruled, the independent panel’s recommendation to proceed with an impeachment inquiry must be implemented.

This is unless and until the report is set aside on review. “I have therefore decided to take the independent panel’s report on review on an expeditious basis,” he said.

“I do so not out of disrespect for Parliament or its processes, but to affirm the need for such findings to be correct in law and in fact.”

“While there have been calls in some circles that I should resign, nothing in the Constitutional Court judgment compels me to resign my office,” he said.

“The Constitutional Court made no finding of any kind regarding my alleged conduct. I therefore respectfully want to make it clear that I will not resign.”