South Africa: A Former Speaker of Parliament is accused of Corruption and Appears in Court

In the most recent controversy involving corruption to affect the ruling African National Congress party, the former speaker of parliament for South Africa was taken into custody on Thursday due to claims that she accepted payments totaling roughly $135,000.

Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula surrendered herself to police on Thursday in the nation’s capital of Pretoria. She was brought to the Pretoria Magistrates Court and later freed on a 50,000 rand ($2,670) bond.

The news comes after weeks of controversy around claims that Mapisa-Nqakula, the minister of defense from 2016 to 2019, received eleven cash payments from a defense contractor.

After police raided her home in Johannesburg, she was told the state planned to charge her on twelve counts of money laundering and corruption.

Days after her legal attempt to prevent her arrest was unsuccessful, she announced her resignation as parliament speaker and politician.

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.