S.Africa's Ex-parliament Speaker Arrested In Graft Probe

Johannesburg, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 4th Apr, 2024) South Africa's former parliament speaker was arrested Thursday as part of a graft inquiry, the latest scandal to hit the governing African National Congress (ANC) party ahead of elections in May.

Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, who resigned her speaker post-Wednesday, was formally detained after handing herself in to police near Pretoria, prosecutors said.

The ANC veteran was due to appear before a judge and be formally charged with corruption and money laundering, Henry Mamothame, a spokesman for the National Prosecuting Authority, told AFP.

"She's appearing at the Pretoria Magistrate's Court," Mamothame said.

Coming just under two months before national elections, the case has added to the woes of the ANC, which is struggling in opinion polls amid a weak economy and accusations of official graft and mismanagement.

Mapisa-Nqakula is the latest in a string of senior ANC politicians, including the president and vice president, to be embroiled in corruption scandals.

The 67-year-old is accused of soliciting hefty amounts in bribes from a former military contractor during her previous tenure as defence minister.

She denies the allegations.