The looming arrest of South Africa's National Assembly Speaker, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, threatens to unsettle the ruling African National Congress (ANC) ahead of the general elections on 29 May. The move follows an investigation into corruption allegations, which could see Mapisa-Nqakula handing herself over to authorities on Friday.

Reports indicate that law enforcement officials conducted a raid on her Johannesburg home on 19 March as part of an inquiry into claims that she solicited a cash bribe of approximately R2.3 million via mobile phone text messages from a former military contractor during her tenure as Minister of Defence between 2012 and 2021.

According to the Mail & Guardian, Mapisa-Nqakula was expected to surrender on Friday, 22 March, a fact confirmed by a senior government official to The Africa Report. However, due to Human Rights Day being a public holiday in South Africa, her surrender was postponed.

Uncertainty looms over whether Mapisa-Nqakula will be detained, as she is scheduled to lead a multi-party delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, on Saturday, 23 March, as per a parliamentary press statement. This development came after news of her impending arrest broke.

The investigation, led by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) on behalf of the National Prosecuting Authority's Investigative Directorate, led to the seizure of items from Mapisa-Nqakula's residence, although the specifics of these items remain undisclosed.

Allegations surfaced that Mapisa-Nqakula had solicited bribes from contractor Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, owner of Umkhombe Marine, in exchange for defense contracts. Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, married to Major General Noel Ndhlovu, was previously arrested for alleged fraud amounting to over R100 million, charges that were dropped when she turned state witness.

Mapisa-Nqakula's predicament presents a challenge for President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has pledged to combat corruption within the government and the ANC since taking office in 2018. While the ANC could potentially leverage her non-return to parliament as a testament to its anti-corruption stance, the Democratic Alliance has called for swift action, demanding her immediate resignation following reports of her impending arrest.

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