South Africa’s parliament in scandal as prosecutors say speaker took a wig as a bribe

South African prosecutors say they intend to charge the parliament speaker with corruption

Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, speaker of the National Assembly, with South African president Cyril Ramaphosa ahead of his state of the nation address at the City Hall in Cape Town (AFP)

South African prosecutors said on Monday they intend to charge the parliament speaker with corruption, alleging she took $135,000 and a wig in bribes over a three-year period while she was defence minister.

Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has not been arrested or charged. The prosecutors spoke at a court hearing over her claims that authorities hadn’t properly informed her of allegations or followed the correct procedure.

The judge was expected to rule on a stay of arrest later on Monday.

In court papers submitted for the hearing, prosecutors say Mapisa-Nqakula received 11 payments totalling $135,000 between December 2016 and July 2019. She sought another bribe of $105,000 but that wasn’t paid, prosecutors said.

On one occasion in February 2019, Mapisa-Nqakula received more than $15,000 and a wig at a meeting at the country’s main international airport, the papers say.

The person who allegedly paid the bribes was not named.

Prosecutors gave her the opportunity to hand herself in at a police station and be taken to court to be formally charged. They said they would not oppose her bail.

Mapisa-Nqakula has denied wrongdoing and had said she would cooperate with authorities after they searched her home in Johannesburg and seized evidence last week.

She has taken a leave of absence from her role as parliament speaker. She was previously accused of taking bribes, but a parliamentary investigation was dropped in 2021. The case re-emerged after a whistleblower came forward last year, prosecutors said.

On Tuesday, it was reported a special investigations unit searched her home and seized evidence.

The search and seizure operation at the Johannesburg home was confirmed in a statement from parliament.

The investigation of Mapisa-Nqakula was made public this month by a newspaper, which said she was suspected of receiving at least $120,000 in bribes from a defence contractor between 2016 and 2019. The money was delivered to her in cash in gift bags, according to The Sunday Times.

Her case is the latest graft scandal to hit the ruling African National Congress party, which faces a pivotal national election on 29 May.