Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, the former speaker of the National Assembly, showed up at the Lyttelton police station in Centurion on Thursday morning to turn herself in.
On Wednesday, she announced her resignation from the assembly following the dismissal of her urgent plea to avoid being arrested on corruption accusations by the Pretoria High Court.
Mapisa-Nqakula allegedly accepted 2.3 million Rand in bribes and rewards from a defense contractor while serving as minister of defense.
She Denied the Accusations
Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula stated in her resignation letter that she made the decision to leave parliament immediately in order to protect its integrity and concentrate on the probe into her.
“Given the seriousness of the much-publicised allegations against me, I cannot continue in this role,” she stated in a letter.
Mapisa-Nqakula was commended by the ANC for safeguarding its standing by resigning before being asked to do so.
“We value her commitment to maintaining the image of our organisation,” the party stated.
The 67-year-old, however, emphasized in her letter that her choice was “in no way an indication or admission of guilt.”
“I maintain my innocence and am determined to restore my good reputation,” she stated in a letter.
Lechesa Tsenoli, the speaker’s deputy, will take over, according to Parliament.
Mapisa-Nqakula was the defense minister from 2014 to 2021. The opposition was quite critical of Mapisa-Nqakula’s appointment as speaker.
She was being criticized at the time for what was thought to be inept handling of a wave of violent disturbances that claimed over 300 lives.
Her involvement in graft scandals follows a series of high-ranking African National Congress (ANC) politicians, including as the president and vice president.
On May 29, South Africans will cast ballots in both national and local elections.
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