South Africa’s parliament speaker, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, resigned amidst corruption allegations, following a court ruling that denied her bid to block arrest.
Prosecutors plan to charge her with corruption, accusing her of accepting $135,000 in bribes from a defense contractor during her tenure as defense minister.
She allegedly received these payments between December 2016 and July 2019, with another $105,000 bribe allegedly unpaid. Mapisa-Nqakula denies the accusations.
Reports claim she received over $15,000 and a wig in February 2019 at the country’s main international airport.
Her party, the African National Congress, faces critical elections amid high unemployment and accusations of corruption. Recent polls suggest the party may receive less than 50% of electoral support, the lowest since apartheid ended in 1994.
After her resignation, it remains unclear whether she will be arrested, as her motion to avoid arrest was dismissed by the North Gauteng High Court.