South Africa’s ex-speaker was arrested on Thursday as part of a corruption investigation, which is the most recent scandal for the governing African National Congress party prior to the May elections.
Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, who stepped down from her speaker position on Wednesday, was arrested after surrendering to police near Pretoria, according to prosecutors.
The ANC veteran was expected to appear before a judge and face charges of corruption and money laundering, as per Henry Mamothame, a spokesman for the National Prosecuting Authority.
Mamothame said, “She’s appearing at the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court.”
The case is adding to the challenges of the ANC just before the national elections, as the party is struggling in opinion polls due to a weak economy and allegations of official corruption and mismanagement.
Mapisa-Nqakula is the latest high-ranking ANC politician to be involved in corruption scandals, following the president and vice president.
The 67-year-old is accused of seeking significant bribes from a former military contractor during her previous role as defence minister.
She denies the allegations.
– Resignation letter –
Mapisa-Nqakula resigned as speaker and lawmaker immediately on Wednesday, following a court's decision not to prevent her potential arrest.
In her resignation letter, she maintained her innocence but stated that she decided to step down in order to uphold the integrity of parliament and focus on the investigation against her.
“Due to the seriousness of the widely-publicized allegations against me, I cannot continue in this role,” she wrote.
The move came after a March raid on Mapisa-Nqakula’s residence, which is a luxurious property in an eastern Johannesburg suburb, carried out by a top investigative team.
According to local media reports, she allegedly asked for 2.3 million rand ($121,000) in bribes from a former military contractor.
Parliament announced that she would be replaced by her deputy, Lechesa Tsenoli.
However, the leading opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, urged for the urgent election of a new speaker on Thursday.
Mapisa-Nqakula served as defence minister from 2014 to 2021 before becoming speaker, a decision that received significant criticism from the opposition.
During that time, she faced criticism for perceived incompetence in responding to a series of deadly unrest incidents that resulted in the death of over 300 people.
South Africans will participate in national and provincial elections on May 29.
The ANC is expected to see a decline in its share of the vote to below 50 percent for the first time since the establishment of democracy in 1994, possibly necessitating the formation of a coalition with rival parties to remain in power.
AFP
