The speaker of the South African parliament has to resign pending an investigation into allegations of corruption

In his statement yesterday, Mapisa-Ngakula said: "Today, April 3, I have submitted to the Acting Speaker of Parliament the Hon. Lechesa Tsenoli, my letter of resignation as Speaker of Parliament and also my position as Member of Parliament of the Republic of South Africa." 

In addition, he said: "I have taken this important decision so that I have enough time and attention to deal with the recently announced investigation against me by the law enforcement agencies of our country."

Mapisa-Nqakula, 67, is a veteran member of the ruling African National Congress (ANC). He is currently facing corruption charges as it is alleged that he requested a cash bribe of approximately 2.3 million rands (about 120,000 US dollars) from a former army contractor when he was the minister of defense between 2016 and 2019.

Last week, the South African Speaker filed an urgent application asking the court to prevent his possible arrest, but a judge at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria dismissed his application on Tuesday.

Similarly, Mrs. Mapisa-Nqakula has said that she has officially informed the ANC leadership about her decision and will continue to be a loyal member of the party.

For its part, last Wednesday the ANC party issued a statement confirming that it has received the official resignation letter of Speaker Mapisa-Nqakula.