South Africa’s parliamentary speaker faces arrest on corruption accusations after a court rebuffed her attempt to prevent police and prosecutors from detaining her.
Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, a senior member of the ruling African National Congress party, is accused of accepting payments from a defense contractor while she was defense minister.
Prosecutors say she received 11 payments totaling $135,000 from December 2016 to July 2019. She asked for another bribe of $105,000, but it was not paid, according to investigators.
In light of the charges, opposition MPs have asked for her resignation as speaker.
Mapisa-Nqakula filed an urgent court application last week to prevent her arrest, but a judge at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria denied her request on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters after the ruling was announced, National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Mthunzi Mhaga declined to indicate when the arrest would take place but said that the decision prepared the way for it.
“Obviously the wheels of justice will now be in motion, as we were listening to the judgment, which was well reasoned,” Mhaga was quoted as saying.
“We have always maintained that this is unprecedented, and that our appearance in court was unwarranted. “We have always maintained that the arrest process will be carried out seamlessly,” he added.
Prosecutors advised Mapisa-Nqakula to surrender to authorities for processing and appear before a judge before commencing her court case.
Mapisa-Nqakula is the latest African National Congress leader to face corruption charges as the party prepares for tough national elections this year.
According to recent polls, the party may earn less than 50% of the vote for the first time since it took office in 1994.
