By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
National Assembly speaker Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has denied allegations she received millions in bribes when she was Minister of Defence, saying she will cooperate with any investigation into the claims.
Mapisa-Nqakula said at no point she solicited or received kickbacks when she was defence minister.
The Sunday Times has published an exposé in which Mapisa-Nqakula is accused of taking bribes totalling R2.3 million from a SANDF contractor while heading up the ministry.
In a statement on Monday, Mapisa-Nqakula said she only found out about the investigation through the media.
According to the publication, a high-level investigation has been launched into the accusations that Mapisa-Nqakula solicited and was paid up to R2.3m in cash, delivered in gift bags by defence industry businesswoman Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, the wife of a general in the SANDF’s military health services.
Her spokesperson Mike Ramagoma says should there be an investigation Mapisa-Nqakula will fully cooperate.
“It is a concern that we have an investigation done by the law enforcement agency, which she heard for the first time through the media. She will be available and cooperate with the investigators, and then we will know what is true.
“But, she maintains her innocence.”
Mapisa-Nqakula was appointed Speaker of the National Assembly in 2021.
Meanwhile the Democratic Alliance (DA) has referred Mapisa-Nqakula to the ethics committee, calling for an investigation of allegations of corruption during her tenure as defence minister.
Should the ethics committee agree to investigate the DA’s complaint against Mapisa-Nqakula, it would mean she would be under investigation by two parliamentary committees.
The powers and privileges committee wrote to her a fortnight ago asking her to explain herself over alleged governance breaches related to the salary of parliament secretary Xolile George.
She had until the close of business on March 4 to respond to the powers and privileges committee.
DA chief whip Siviwe Gwarube said her party would lodge a complaint with the joint committee on ethics and members’ interests to safeguard the integrity of parliamentary institutions.
The allegations come after reports that Mapisa-Nqakula approved a secret 70% salary increase for secretary to parliament George, recently raising his salary from the advertised and approved maximum of R2.6m to R4.4m.