Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula takes ‘special leave’, contradicts her lawyer on imminent arrest
Mapisa-Nqakula resigned as National Assembly speaker on Thursday amid graft allegations, saying she had done so to ‘protect the integrity of parliament’
Despite Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula claiming no knowledge of her expected arrest on corruption and money laundering charges involving roughly R4 million, her lawyer Stephen May said his client would hand herself over to the police.
Mapisa-Nqakula said she knew nothing about her arrest while announcing “special leave” from her position as speaker of the National Assembly in a statement on Thursday night.
However, her attorney Stephen May told the Mail & Guardian earlier that the former speaker would hand herself over to the police “in due course”, but was also aware that the state had a “flimsy” case against her.
“There is certainly no desire to avoid a truth-finding process. We do have grave concerns about the timing at which this [arrest] comes and are very concerned about the nature and strength of the case of the state,” May said on Thursday.
“It would certainly appear that [the state’s case] is flimsy at best, and now what it seems or looks like might be an opportunistic time [to charge her],” he added.
His comments followed an M&G report on Thursday that Mapisa-Nqakula is expected to be charged with corruption and money laundering for allegedly receiving bribes totalling more than R4 million from a former South African National Defence Force contractor.
But the former speaker, confirming that a raid on her home occurred on Tuesday, said there had “been no formal notification of an arrest warrant or communication regarding an imminent arrest for me, neither to me nor my legal team”.
“My lawyers have, however, proactively informed the National Prosecution Authority of my readiness to comply and cooperate should the need arise,” Mapisa-Nqakula stated.
She added, however, that the allegations were serious enough for her to relinquish the speaker’s chair.
“This decision has been communicated to the Secretary of Parliament and to the President of the Republic [Cyril Ramaphosa] in his capacity as Head of State. This decision by myself is meant to protect the integrity of Parliament and ensure its sacred duty and its name continue unblemished,” she said.