•Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula
South Africa’s former parliament speaker was arrested Thursday as part of a graft inquiry, the latest scandal to hit the governing ANC party ahead of elections in May.
Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, who resigned her speaker post yesterday, was formally detained after handing herself in to police near Pretoria, prosecutors said.
The ANC veteran was due to appear before a judge and be formally charged with corruption and money laundering, Henry Mamothame, a spokesman for the National Prosecuting Authority, confirmed to our correspondent, reports AFP.
“She’s appearing at the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court,” Mamothame said.
Mapisa-Nqakula is accused of soliciting hefty amounts in bribes from a former military contractor during her previous tenure as defence minister. She denies the allegations.
Yesterday, she resigned as speaker and a lawmaker with immediate effect.
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.
The move came a day after she lost a court bid to prevent her possible arrest.
Coming just under two months before national elections, the case has added to the woes of the ANC, which is struggling in opinion polls amid a weak economy and accusations of official graft and mismanagement.
The party is expected to see its share of the vote drop below 50 percent for the first time since the advent of democracy in 1994 in May, potentially forcing it to form a coalition with rival parties to remain in power.
