Recap of the top scandals involving Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula
Parliament Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has been at the centre of many headlines recently but this clearly isn’t her first rodeo.
Parliament Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula is making headlines after the Investigating Directorate (ID) raided her Johannesburg home.
The raid comes as Mapisa-Nqakula is under fire for allegedly receiving R2.3 million kickbacks during her tenure as the South African Defence Minister.
NOSIVIWE MAPISA-NQAKULA’S TOP SCANDALS OVER THE YEARS
In the wake of the raid, here are the top scandals Mapisa-Nqakula has faced over the years.
R2.3M KICKBACKS
According to an affidavit filed by the owner of Umkhombe Marine Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, Mapisa-Nqakula received cash bribes delivered in gift bags from the company. This was between 2016 and 2019.
In turn, Umkhombe Marine was awarded tenders worth over R200 million for freight and logistics to the SANDF.
As previously reported by The South African, in September 2021 alleged that the Speaker demanded bribes amounting to approximately R5 million over two years.
“Cash payments ranging from R100 000 to R500 000 from 16th to 25th February, 13 March, 18 May 2018 and between 22 May and July 2018 while travelling to Ghana are some dates and amounts the minister extorted from our client,” the statement said.
The Hawks, acting on behalf of the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA’s) Investigative Directorate (ID), conducted an early morning raid on the home of parliamentary speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, in Johannesburg on Tuesday pic.twitter.com/ilRyEQjTqh
— The Instigator (@Am_Blujay) March 19, 2024
INCREASING PARLIAMENT SECRETARY’S SALARY
Recently, Mapisa-Nqakula was in hot water for approving a secret 70% salary hike for the Secretary to Parliament, Xolile George. She allegedly raised his salary from the advertised and approved maximum of R2.6 million to R4.4 million.
Notably, this is more than President Cyril Ramaphosa’s annual salary.
ALLEGED ABUSE OF STATE RESOURCES AND VIOLATING LOCKDOWN RULES
In 2020, Mapisa-Nqakula made headlines for misusing state resources for party business. She allowed a delegation of African National Congress (ANC) officials to travel on an air-force jet to meet with their counterparts in Harare, Zimbabwe.
According to TimesLIVE, the delegation was lifted by Mapisa-Nqakula, who had permission to travel to Zimbabwe to meet her counterpart to discuss defence-related matters in the region after a recent Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit.
In response to the outrage, the defence said there was nothing inappropriate about the travel arrangements. However, President Cyril Ramaphosa sanctioned the minister by imposing a three-month salary sacrifice.
Her three-month salary was paid to the Solidarity Fund, which was established to support the country’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
MINISTER ALLEGEDLY SMUGGLED HER SON’S LOVER TO SA
In 2016, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula also made headlines after she allegedly smuggled her son Chumani’s lover to South Africa.
The former Defence Minister claimed Michelle Wege was being abused by her father, which is why she used her influence to charter an Air Force jet to fly the 22-year-old Burundian nationals from the Democratic Republic of Congo to South Africa without a valid passport.