Mapisa-Nqakula hands herself over to police
Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula resigned from the National Assembly on Wednesday evening, in the face of corruption allegations.
Former National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has handed herself over to the Lyttelton police station in Centurion, Tshwane and later, she is expected to appear at the Specialised Commercial Crime Court in Pretoria.
According to the SABC News, Mapisa-Nqakula handed herself over while accompanied by former deputy president Baleka Mbete.
#NosiviweMapisaNqakula
— Chriselda Zozi Lewis (Babes Wendaba) (@Chriseldalewis) April 4, 2024
[WATCH]
My colleague @samkelemaseko reports a presidential convoy arrived at the Lyttleton Police Station where Mapisa-Nqakula handed herself over to authorities.
My colleague @CannyMaphanga is at court …. #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/v3v1biixoX
Earlier, she was seen by journalists leaving her home in Bruma, east of Johannesburg, driving to Tshwane.
BREAKING #NosiviweMapisaNqakula
— Chriselda Zozi Lewis (Babes Wendaba) (@Chriseldalewis) April 4, 2024
The same convoy [VIDEO 1] which left the home of the former Speaker of the National Assembly shortly before 7am has arrived at the Lyttleton police station in Centurion where Mapisa-Nqakula is expected to hand herself over to authorities now… pic.twitter.com/kFZJl7O2LR
This comes mere hours after she tendered her resignation from Parliament, citing the the need to “uphold the integrity and sanctity of our Parliament” amid the “seriousness of the much-publicised allegations” against her.
The former speaker added in her letter that the resignation “is in no way an indication or admission of guilt”.
Parliament acknowledged her resignation and said Deputy Speaker Lechesa Tsenoli would continue acting in the now-vacant role.
“The acting speaker of the National Assembly extends gratitude to Ms Mapisa-Nqakula for her service to the nation over her 30-year tenure as a member of Parliament and, most recently, in her role as speaker of the National Assembly since 19 August 2021,” the House said in a statement.
MAPISA-NQAKULA FAILS TO INTERDICT ARREST
On Tuesday, 2 April, Judge Sulet Potterill threw out her request, with costs, to interdict her arrest over the graft allegations.
In her ruling at the High Court in Pretoria, Potterill said: “If the court grants such an order, the floodgates will be opened,” meaning suspects would use the precedent to stop their impending arrests.
BACKGROUND INTO MAPISA-NQAKULA CASE
According to police and the NPA, Mapisa-Nqakula – while she was defence minister between 2012 and 2019 – solicited millions in bribes, including a wig and handbags, totalling R4 million from Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, chief executive officer of defence contractor Umkhombe Marine.
Umkhombe Marine reportedly received R210 million in defence contracts from the SANDF during Mapisa-Nqakula’s tenure at the defence ministry.
On 19 March, the former speaker’s Bruma home in Bruma was raided by police, where evidence was seized and when it was rumoured that an arrest was imminent, Mapisa-Nqakula approached the courts to urgently interdict the police.
‘SPECIAL LEAVE’ AND NO-CONFIDENCE MOTION
Two days later, she took special leave from her duties as speaker.
“This decision by myself is meant to protect the integrity of Parliament and ensure its sacred duty and its name continue unblemished,” she said.
Subsequent to that, Tsenoli announced that he had accepted a motion-of-no-confidence vote sitting proposed by DA chief whip Siviwe Gwarube.
“Section 54(2) of the Constitution states that the National Assembly may remove the Speaker or Deputy Speaker from office by resolution, with a majority of Assembly members present when the resolution is adopted,” a statement by Parliament said.
However, the date for the motion has not yet been announced, with the current Parliament’s term set to end at midnight on 21 May, days before the 29 May 2024 general elections.
ALSO READ: These Tshwane areas will experience a 13-hour power outage on Thursday