Court grants Mapisa-Nqakula bail of R50k
Former National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has been granted R50,000 bail in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court.
Mapisa-Nqakula was charged with corruption and money laundering on Thursday, a day after resigning from her speaker post.
"Charges against Ms Mapisa-Nqakula are 12 counts of corruption… and one of money laundering," Bheki Manyathi of the National Prosecuting Authority told the court.
Wearing a yellow and blue dress and matching head cover as she sat in the dock, the ANC veteran elected to remain silent as her lawyer requested she be released on bail.
"I'm not at flight risk," she said in a submission read by her lawyer Graham Kerr-Phillips. "I will receive a state pension which I cannot afford to lose," she added, also describing the case against her as weak.
On Wednesday, Mapisa-Nqakula resigned as speaker and as a lawmaker with immediate effect, a day after losing a court bid to prevent her possible arrest.
She is accused of soliciting R2.3 million rand in bribes from a former military contractor during her tenure as defence minister.
Mapisa-Nqakula expressed concerns about reputational damage to herself and her family if imprisoned.
Pledging to abide by bail conditions, she fears being presumed guilty, citing potential harm in police custody.
In her affidavit, the former minister stated that she suffers from dangerous hypertension requiring constant medication.
* Additional reporting by AFP
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