South African Speaker of Parliament Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has resigned after police raided her home during a corruption investigation.
Ms Mapisa-Nqakula is accused of soliciting bribes in return for awarding contracts during her time as defence minister.
She said, she has “made this conscious decision in order to dedicate my time and focus to deal with the recently announced investigation against me by our country’s law enforcement agencies.”
According to statement released, her “resignation is in no way an indication or admission of guilt regarding the allegations being levelled against me.”
“I have made this decision in order uphold the integrity and sanctity of our Parliament, an apex institution of our system of government, representing of the People of South Africa as a whole.”
The 67-year-old veteran of the anti-apartheid struggle became speaker in 2021. Before that, she served as defence minister for seven years.
Last week Ms Mapisa-Nqakula’s lawyers filed a request for a court order to prevent her arrest, saying it would infringe on her dignity.
On Tuesday, judges rejected her bid on the basis that the matter was not urgent and they could not speculate on an arrest that was yet to happen.
Ms Mapisa-Nqakula is accused of making several demands for money, amounting to $120,000 (£96,000), from the owner of a company to secure a tender to transport army equipment back to South Africa from elsewhere on the continent, the Business Day newspaper reports.
The resignation comes ahead of next month’s general election, which some believe could be difficult for the African National Congress (ANC), the ruling party.
The party, which has been in power since 1994, has faced repeated allegations of corruption and mismanagement of public funds, which have become a key election issue.
Julius Maleba’s led Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has welcomed the Resignation Of Former Speaker Of Parliament Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula.
The EFF has reiterated that “Mapisa-Nqakula must be arrested and considers her resignation as just one step towards restoring accountability and transparency in Parliament”.
“The resignation of Mapisa-Nqakula should serve as a warning to all public officials that the people will not tolerate corruption, abuse of power and betrayal of their trust.”
“The EFF will continue to advocate for the interests of the people and work tirelessly to ensure that justice prevails in our democracy,” it added.
