Former South Africa speaker of parliament is arrested on bribery allegations and released on bail
The former South African speaker of parliament has been arrested over allegations that she received about $135,000 in bribes, in the latest corruption scandal to face the governing African National Congress party
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The former South African speaker of parliament was arrested on Thursday over allegations that she received about $135,000 in bribes, in the latest corruption scandal to face the governing African National Congress party.
Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula turned herself in to police in the capital, Pretoria, on Thursday and was taken to Pretoria Magistrates Court, where she was released on 50,000 rand ($2,670) in bail.
Mapisa-Nqakula maintained her innocence and suggested the charges against her were politically motivated with the country set to hold national elections later this year.
The developments follow weeks of controversy over allegations that Mapisa-Nqakula received 11 cash payments from a defense contractor when she was minister of defense between 2016 and 2019.
Her Johannesburg home was raided by law enforcement officials, and she was informed that the state intended to charge her with 12 counts of corruption and money laundering.
She resigned as speaker of parliament and as a lawmaker days after failing in a court bid to block her arrest.
She told the court on Thursday that she was not a flight risk and would have a lot to lose by evading her trial, including her state pension and access to her Johannesburg-based children.
Prosecutors did not oppose Mapisa-Nqakula's application for bail.
Her case has been postponed to June 4, with prosecutors saying they plan to add another defendant.