Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, Speaker of the Parliament of South Africa, resigns
Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, Speaker of the Parliament of South Africa, has resigned after being accused of soliciting a bribe in exchange for awarding contracts while serving as the Minister of Defence. Despite denying the allegations and stating that her resignation is not an admission of guilt, the seriousness of the corruption investigation led her to the decision to resign. Mapisa-Nqakula, a veteran of the anti-apartheid movement, became the president of parliament in 2021 after serving as Minister of Defence for seven years.
Her lawyers tried to prevent her arrest, arguing that it would compromise her dignity, but their request was denied by judges who deemed it not urgent. The charges against Mapisa-Nqakula include soliciting $120,000 in exchange for securing a tender for the transportation of military equipment. Her resignation comes as the ruling African National Congress (ANC) faces increased scrutiny ahead of the upcoming general elections, with corruption and mismanagement of public funds becoming significant issues for voters. The ANC, which has been in power since 1994, has been plagued by corruption allegations, making the upcoming elections challenging for the party.
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