Speaker of South African Parliament, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, resigned from her position on Wednesday, following a corruption probe against her.
Mapisa-Nqakula tendered her resignation as Speaker, also stepped down as a member of the parliament.
“My resignation is in no way an indication or admission of guilt regarding the allegations being levelled against me,” she said in a statement.
Mapisa-Nqakula is being probed for allegedly requesting for bribes in exchange for the awarding of contracts during her tenure as defence minister, between 2012 and 2021.
Last month, security operatives raided her home as part of the corruption investigation.
On Tuesday, she failed in a bid to prevent authorities from apprehending her.
Mapisa-Nqakula’s resignation comes weeks before next month’s election in the country.
Political analysts say the election may be difficult for the governing African National Congress (ANC) which has been in power since 1994.
The party has faced corruption allegations, including misappropriation of public funds.
The speaker’s probe is one of the high-profile corruption cases in South Africa.
It would be recalled that in 2021, a constitutional court sentenced former president,Jacob Zuma, to 15 months in jail over contempt of court.
Zuma was forced to step down as president in 2018 following corruption allegations.
He was later released on medical parole but a high court ruling set aside the parole decision and ordered him to return to jail.
He was however released in August 2023, due to overcrowding in the prison
