The speaker of South Africa’s parliament, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, has willingly given herself up to the police due to an ongoing corruption inquiry concerning her, as reported by BBC.
As per local media, Mapisa-Nqakula turned herself in at the Pretoria Central Police on Friday morning and is expected to appear in court later in the day.
Claims have been made against her for supposedly asking for bribes in return for awarding contracts while she was the defence minister.
According to AFP, while serving as defence minister from 2014 to 2021 before becoming speaker, Mapisa-Nqakula allegedly requested 2.3 million rand ($121,000) in bribes from a former military contractor.
BBC reports that it is uncertain whether she is currently under arrest.
On Thursday, she declared that she was taking special leave from her position due to the seriousness of the allegations.
“Due to the seriousness of the allegations and the extensive media speculation, I have decided to take special leave… effective immediately,” she said in a statement on Thursday.
According to reports, last week, a specialized police unit conducted an extensive five-hour search of Ms Mapisa-Nqakula’s Johannesburg home.