In South Africa, the Speaker of Parliament indicted, the ANC in embarrassment | EUROtoday
Get real time updates directly on you device, subscribe now.
EShe can have fought for 3 weeks, because the search of her house on March 19, to keep away from being arrested by the police. But his authorized appeals solely served to delay the inevitable, and on Thursday April 4 within the morning, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula ended up surrendering to the authorities, earlier than being, within the afternoon, launched on bail. bail. The day earlier than, the President of the National Assembly had submitted her resignation, whereas emphasizing “proclaiming (her) innocence” and being decided to “restore (her) good reputation”.
This ANC determine will, nonetheless, must reply to 12 counts of corruption, and one rely of cash laundering. She is suspected of getting obtained greater than 220,000 euros in bribes (4,550,000 rands) between 2017 and 2019, when she was protection minister. A subcontractor of the ministry, a key witness within the case itself pursued by the courts for tax fraud, however who determined to collaborate with the courts, claims to have obtained a number of navy contracts on this method.
Endemic corruption
If the load of those accusations is heavy, it’s finally one more corruption scandal involving a senior government of the ANC. Nelson Mandela's social gathering, which is celebrating 30 years in energy this 12 months, has change into accustomed to any such accusations. Few of its senior executives aren’t mendacity round: President Cyril Ramaphosa himself, elected in 2019 with the promise of eradicating corruption, nearly resigned in 2022 on account of a murky affair of tax fraud. The social gathering's response to the indictment of one in every of its senior members was subsequently stoic, with Cyril Ramaphosa praising a resignation motivated by “his level of integrity for our democracy, which should be commended and applauded”.
It is, nonetheless, questionable whether or not this resignation was motivated by integrity, slightly than by the social gathering's reluctance to defend the President of the Assembly throughout a vote of no confidence demanded by the opposition. Due to the resignation, this didn’t happen, nevertheless it had change into clear that he was a humiliation. “We cannot afford to defend it during an election year,” an ANC MP advised the net newspaper News 24.
Risk of dropping absolutely the majority
Less than two months earlier than the final elections, scheduled for May 29, this new scandal additional strengthens the picture of a celebration whose leaders use their mandate for private ends. After 30 years of governance with none actual risk from the opposition, these elections promise to be a turning level. For the primary time, the ANC dangers falling beneath 50% of the votes, thus dropping its absolute majority, which might pressure it to arrange a coalition authorities.
Sharing energy is clearly to not the style of the social gathering, which is engaged in a marketing campaign of reconquest. Singled out for the decline of public providers, the social gathering prefers to spotlight the progress made since apartheid, and to emphasise its position within the liberation of the nation. An argument which, after 30 years in energy, now not resonates with disillusioned South Africans. These new accusations of corruption subsequently come on the proper time for the opposition events, who for the primary time have an opportunity of coming to energy. The Democratic Alliance (DA) thus welcomed the resignation of Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula in a press launch, stressing that “Parliament cannot be a refuge for some of the worst among us”.
Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula's trial was adjourned till early June. She faces fifteen years in jail.
https://www.lepoint.fr/afrique/en-afrique-du-sud-la-presidente-du-parlement-inculpee-l-anc-dans-l-embarras-05-04-2024-2556918_3826.php