Ramaphosa should step aside over scandal - minister

South Africa's tourism minister says President Cyril Ramaphosa should step aside in line with the ruling party’s rule about members linked to corruption scandals.

President Ramaphosa is embroiled in an corruption scandal dubbed "farmgate". It is about an alleged cover-up of a robbery that took place at his private farm, Phala Phala, back in February 2020.

The president denies any wrongdoing.

In an interview aired on Sunday night by the public broadcaster SABC, Lindiwe Sisulu said she intended to put the scandal on the agenda of the ANC conference in December.

She said there needed to be a discussion about President Ramaphosa's fate and the application of the step-aside rule.

Quote Message: I would propose as we go into the next conference [that] anybody who we feel has serious allegations against them should step aside. For instance, the Phala Phala issue for me would call for that until all of us are quite certain that there is nothing wrong, nothing illegal about that."

I would propose as we go into the next conference [that] anybody who we feel has serious allegations against them should step aside. For instance, the Phala Phala issue for me would call for that until all of us are quite certain that there is nothing wrong, nothing illegal about that."

The ANC is set to pick its presidential candidate for the 2024 election and Mr Ramaphosa is under increasing scrutiny.

This article originally appeared on BBC News

Photo: AFP