South Africa Speaker is arrested after she was accused of soliciting bribery, two months before South Africa’s upcoming national elections

Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, 67, is charged with 12 counts of corruption and one count of money laundering

She is accused of soliciting and receiving bribes from a defense contractor while serving as Defense Minister between 2014 and 2021

Mapisa-Nqakula a member of the ruling ANC party stepped down as Speaker and resigned from the National Assembly on Wednesday

Resignation came a day after losing a court bid to prevent her possible arrest

She handed herself over to police in Pretoria and was detained, before being released on bail

Mapisa-Nqakula, appeared before a court in Pretoria, on Thursday to plead not guilty, and was released on bail of 50,000 rand, [$2,673]

Former Speaker of South Africa’s National Assembly, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, [photo], enters court in Pretoria, on Thursday where she was charged with bribery and official corruption

South Africa’s former parliament speaker was charged with corruption and money laundering on Thursday, in the latest scandal to hit the governing African National Congress (ANC) party ahead of elections which holds on May 29. In power since 1994, the party is expected to experience mixed results in the upcoming elections.
Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, 67, appeared before a court in Pretoria after she handed herself in to police and was formally detained.
“Charges against Ms Mapisa-Nqakula are 12 counts of corruption… and one of money laundering,” Bheki Manyathi of the National Prosecuting Authority told the court.

Mapisa-Nqakula appeared in court in Pretoria on Thursday, facing charges of official corruption and soliciting bribery. she was granted bail of R50,000, and released

During her court appearance in Pretoria on Thursday, she was granted bail of R50,000, [$2,673], with Magistrate Anna Oosthuizen saying it was in the interests of justice that the former Speaker be released on bail.
Mapisa-Nqakula told the court on Thursday that she was not a flight risk and would have a lot to lose by evading her trial, including her state pension and access to her Johannesburg-based children.
Prosecutors did not oppose Mapisa-Nqakula’s application for bail.
The ANC veteran elected to remain silent as her lawyer requested she be let out on bail.

Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula [photo], has been official corruption and ‘Soliciting bribes’ which happened when she served as Defense minister between 2014 and 2021 – soliciting and accepting bribes from defense contractors

“I’m not at flight risk,” she said in a submission read by her lawyer Graham Kerr-Phillips.
“I will receive a state pension which I cannot afford to lose,” she added, also describing the case against her as weak.
Coming just under two months before national elections, the case has added to the woes of the African National Congress, ANC, which is struggling in opinion polls amid a weak economy and accusations of official graft and mismanagement.
Mapisa-Nqakula is the latest in a string of senior ANC politicians to become embroiled in corruption scandals.
The former Speaker is accused of soliciting substantial amounts in bribes from a former military contractor during her previous tenure as defense minister.
Mapisa-Nqakula denies the allegations.
This development followed weeks of controversy over allegations that Mapisa-Nqakula received eleven cash payments from a defense contractor when she was minister of defense between 2016 and 2019.
On March 19, a raid was carried out by members of a top investigative team at the ex-Speakers residence, a high-end property in an eastern suburb of Johannesburg.
The search party, it was revealed in the court documents also discovered the existence of an accomplice during the raid. The state intends intends to add the accomplice to the case, prosecutors told the court.
According to local media Mapisa-Nqakula allegedly solicited 2.3 million rand [$121,000], from a former military contractor.
In total Mapisa-Nqakula is alleged to have accepted over 2.52 million rand, about [$135,000], in bribes.
On Wednesday, Mapisa-Nqakula gave up her role as Speaker and resigned as member of the National Assembly with immediate effect, a day after losing a court bid to prevent her possible arrest.
In a resignation letter, she maintained her innocence but said she had decided to step down to uphold the integrity of parliament and focus on the investigation against her.
“Given the seriousness of the much-publicized allegations against me, I cannot continue in this role,” she wrote.
Following her resignation, Parliament has announced that the Speaker position will be filled by Mapisa-Nqakula’s deputy, Lechesa Tsenoli. However, on Thursday, the main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, called for a new speaker to be urgently elected.
Mapisa-Nqakula served as defense minister between 2014 and 2021 before being appointed speaker in a move that drew much criticism from the opposition.
At the time, she had come under fire for perceived incompetence in responding to a spate of deadly unrest that saw more than 300 people killed.
The case was adjourned to June 4.