Corruption cases involving the iconic figures of the ANC, the ruling party in South Africa, are ongoing and similar. A new dirty money scandal now involves the Speaker of Parliament, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, who is also a member of Mandela's party.
Shortly after an independent commission's verdict against the former ANC leader, Jacob Zuma, concluding his ineligibility following a corruption case, it's now his comrade Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula's turn to make headlines for the same reason. The acting Speaker of Parliament, she has been subjected to a search at her Johannesburg home by a special police unit, acting on behalf of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
And for good reason, this other emblematic figure of the ANC is accused of having solicited and received at least 200,000 dollars (4 million rands) in cash from a former military contractor during her tenure as Minister of Defense. These accusations have been made against her, under oath, by Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu. The owner of the freight and logistics company "Umkhombe Marine" has revealed in his affidavit that he gave bundles of money to Mapisa-Nqakula on 10 occasions between November 2016 and July 2019.
Caught off guard, Mapisa-Nqakula has taken an emergency special leave from her position as the National Assembly's Speaker, with immediate effect. She has also launched an urgent judicial attempt to prevent law enforcement from arresting her on corruption charges.
Through this attempt, she aims to obtain a court order allowing her to appear in court on summons instead of being arrested.
The opposition parties have not let her off. They demand her immediate resignation, arguing that "anything less would be a parody of Parliament and, more importantly, of South Africa."
A motion of censure has even been filed to leave her no chance to escape justice.
In March 2023, she survived a motion of no confidence filed by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party for her "misconduct."
The repeated corruption cases involving ANC members, including President Ramaphosa, exacerbate its unpopularity. Mandela's party is predicted to lose in all polls on the eve of the upcoming general elections scheduled for May 29.
