In a significant development, South Africa’s former parliament speaker, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, was arrested on Thursday as part of an ongoing corruption investigation, marking yet another blow to the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party ahead of the upcoming elections in May.
Mapisa-Nqakula, who resigned from her speaker post just the day before, surrendered herself to the police near Pretoria and was subsequently taken into custody, according to prosecutors.
Henry Mamothame, a spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority, confirmed that the ANC veteran would appear before a judge to face formal charges of corruption and money laundering. “She’s appearing at the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court,” Mamothame stated.
The timing of this arrest, occurring less than two months before the national elections, further exacerbates the challenges facing the ANC. The party is grappling with a host of issues including a sluggish economy, allegations of official corruption, and mismanagement, all of which have contributed to a decline in its popularity according to opinion polls.
Mapisa-Nqakula is the latest in a series of high-ranking ANC officials, including the president and vice president, to be embroiled in corruption scandals. The 67-year-old stands accused of soliciting substantial bribes from a former military contractor during her tenure as defence minister.
Despite vehemently denying the allegations, Mapisa-Nqakula chose to resign from her positions as speaker and lawmaker immediately after losing a court battle aimed at preventing her potential arrest. In her resignation letter, she asserted her innocence but stated that she was stepping down to preserve the integrity of parliament and to focus on defending herself against the accusations.
The resignation followed a raid on Mapisa-Nqakula’s residence in March by members of an investigative team. Reports suggest that she allegedly solicited bribes totaling 2.3 million rand ($121,000) from a former military contractor.
In response to her resignation, Parliament announced that Mapisa-Nqakula would be replaced by her deputy, Lechesa Tsenoli. However, the leading opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, called for an urgent election of a new speaker.
Mapisa-Nqakula’s political career has been marked by controversy, particularly during her tenure as defence minister from 2014 to 2021. Critics accused her of incompetence in handling deadly unrest incidents that claimed the lives of over 300 people.
As South Africa gears up for national and provincial elections on May 29, the ANC faces the prospect of losing its majority for the first time since the end of apartheid in 1994. This outcome could potentially necessitate forming a coalition with rival parties to retain power.
