TheCable

Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has handed herself over to the police, hours after resigning as speaker of the South African parliament on the back of a corruption probe.  

Mapisa-Nqakula was said to have arrived at a police station in Centurion, near Johannesburg, on Thursday.

She is expected to be arraigned at a Pretoria magistrate’s court.

Mapisa-Nqakula resigned as speaker of the South Africa parliament on Wednesday amid a corruption probe against her.

She had also stepped down as a member of parliament.

“My resignation is in no way an indication or admission of guilt regarding the allegations being levelled against me,” she said in a statement.

Mapisa-Nqakula is alleged to have requested bribes in exchange for the award of contracts during her tenure as defence minister.

She was defence minister between 2012 and 2021.

Last month, security operatives raided her home as part of the corruption investigation.

On Tuesday, she failed in a bid to prevent authorities from apprehending her.

Mapisa-Nqakula’s resignation comes weeks before next month’s election in the country.

Political analysts say the election may prove difficult for the governing African National Congress (ANC) which has been in power since 1994.

The party has battled a series of corruption allegations in recent times.