South Africa's Speaker of Parliament accused of receiving bribes 11 times
South Africa’s Speaker of Parliament Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has been accused of taking $135,000 and a wig in bribes during her position as defence minister.
Prosecutors argued in court that the amount was received by the former minister in 11 payments within a 3-year-period from December 2016 to July 2019.
Among those was a February 2019 occasion when Mapisa-Nqakula received more than $15,000 and a wig at a meeting at the country’s main international airport.
This is the second time allegations of corruption are being levelled against the former minister following previous accusations which led to a parliamentary investigation. The case was eventually dropped in 2021.
The case re-emerged after a tip-off by a whistleblower in 2023. Authorities have already searched her home in Johannesburg and seized evidence. She has not yet been arrested or charged as prosecutors indicated that she had not been properly informed of her allegations.
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
Niger Roundup: US oil investment push, security concerns in Bilma, soaring meat prices grip Niger
The Speaker of the National Assembly has since denied wrongdoing and promised to assist with investigations.
The Guardian reports that prosecutors gave her the opportunity to hand herself in at the police station to be taken to court to be formally charged.
She has taken a leave of absence from her role as speaker.
Mapisa-Nqakula is a member of the African National Congress (ANC).
