South Africa’s House Speaker Faces Potential Arrest, Denies Bribery Allegations

Parliamentary speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula of South Africa is facing potential arrest on corruption charges. On Tuesday, a court denied her request to prevent being taken into custody by the police and charged by prosecutors.

The allegations against her include accepting $135,000 in bribes over a three-year period while serving as defense minister, as well as receiving a wig as a bribe. Mapisa-Nqakula denies all the accusations of corruption. It is claimed that she received $15,000 and the wig during a meeting in February 2019 at an international airport in South Africa.

Prosecutors also allege that she may have solicited an additional bribe of $105,000, which was not paid. The supposed presenter of this bribe was a representative of the country’s defense forces. Last month, the Investigating Directorate (ID) launched an investigation into Mapisa-Nqakula following reports that she had received millions of rand in cash bribes from a defense-forces contractor.

The investigation suggests that she received a payment of just over $122,000 (2.3 million rand) in cash, delivered through gift bags, from defense-sector businesswoman Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, who is married to a military general.

Mapisa-Nqakula has taken legal action to challenge the validity of the search-and-seizure warrant issued by the Investigating Directorate and the conduct of the operation carried out at her Johannesburg residence.

She has also requested that the court disclose the evidence against her. The National Prosecuting Authority has not provided a specific timeline for her arrest but has stated that the court’s ruling paves the way for it to proceed.

Mhaga expressed that the wheels of justice will now be set in motion, as we attentively listened to the well-reasoned judgment. On March 24, the African National Congress party issued a statement regarding Comrade Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula’s special leave from Parliament, which was a result of law enforcement actions and allegations against her.

The party is preparing for a national election on May 29, and there is a possibility that they may lose their overall majority for the first time in thirty years of being in power. Mapisa-Nqakula, a 67-year-old activist with a significant background in the anti-apartheid movement, took on the role of speaker in 2021 after serving as defense minister for seven years.