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Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula’s legal troubles expose the ruling African National Congress to one of its biggest weaknesses – corruption allegations – ahead of national elections.
By John Eligon
Report from Johannesburg
The parliamentarian who resigned this week as speaker of South Africa’s top parliament was arrested on Thursday for accepting bribes in her previous role as defence minister.
The arrest of MP Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula follows a tense weeks-long standoff with security forces over a corruption case that dealt a blow to the ruling African National Congress two months before national elections.
The National Congress is threatened with squandering its absolute majority in national government for the first time since the end of apartheid 30 years ago, when the electorate goes to the polls on May 29. Mapisa-Nqakula’s arrest exposes Congress to one of its greatest vulnerabilities: corruption allegations. .
Mapisa-Nqakula, 67, was charged in court Thursday with 12 counts of corruption and one count of money laundering. He accused her of soliciting around 4. 5 million rand ($241,000) in bribes and receiving 2. 1 million rand from a defense contractor in exchange for awarding contracts between 2016 and 2019. He was released on bail of R50,000.
Mapisa-Nqakula, who had fought against the apartheid regime as an ANC member and exiled activist, proclaimed her innocence on Wednesday by pronouncing her resignation as speaker of the National Assembly. Part of his resolution to resign, he said, was to “protect the symbol of our organization, the African National Congress. “
“My resignation is in no way an indication or admission of guilt in relation to the allegations made against me,” he added. “I have adopted this resolution to maintain the integrity and sanctity of our Parliament. “
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