The resigning Speaker of the South African Parliament, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, was arrested on Thursday April 4 after turning herself in to the police as part of a corruption investigation into events dating back to the time where she was Minister of Defense. “She is to be presented before a court in Pretoria” later today, Henry Mamothame, spokesperson for the South African National Prosecution Service, told Agence France-Presse (AFP), confirming Ms. Mapisa-Nqakula's early arrest. in the morning.
“This court is not in a position to declare that an arrest which has not yet taken place is illegal or that it would be illegal,” judge Sulet Potterill told the Pretoria court, announcing “not to proceed to this recourse”. “If the court were to grant such a request, it would open the floodgates so that each suspect could invoke the weakness of the charges against him and prevent his arrest,” she continued.
President of Parliament since 2021 and member of the all-powerful national executive committee (NEC) of the African National Congress (ANC), in power since the end of apartheid, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula announced the day before that she was resigning. “Given the seriousness of the high-profile accusations against me, I cannot continue in this position” in Parliament, she explained in her resignation letter consulted by AFP. She declared that she was leaving her position in order to preserve the integrity of the institution and to concentrate on the investigation opened against her.
Ms. Mapisa-Nqakula, 67, is accused of receiving large sums from a military contractor when she was defense minister (2014-2021). According to local media, she is accused of having received 2.3 million rand (around 114,000 euros) in bribes.
" A victory "
After a search of her home two weeks ago, Ms Mapisa-Nqakula was put on “special leave”. She had filed an emergency appeal to try to avoid an arrest that she considered “illegal” in view of the “thin” evidence gathered against her.
This appeal was rejected on Tuesday by the courts, thus paving the way for a possible arrest of this figure of the ruling party. The opposition has been calling for his resignation or dismissal since the affair broke out in March, two months before elections which promise to be tense for the ANC. South Africans are called to the polls on May 29 to renew their Parliament, which will choose the next president. According to opinion polls, the ANC risks losing its absolute majority for the first time.
The first opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), called for his resignation on March 22, believing that “his retention compromises the integrity of the legislative institution.” This affair comes less than two months before elections which are particularly risky for the historic party, losing popularity, in particular due to an image tarnished by corruption cases and a gloomy socio-economic climate.
Opposition parties, including the Democratic Alliance and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF, radical left) welcomed this resignation. “This resignation is a victory for accountability [before the judiciary] and Parliament. And, by extension, the people of South Africa, the Alliance said. The people charged with leading and representing South Africa must be up to the task. » Parliament announced that the president would be replaced by her deputy Lechesa Tsenoli.
