South African Speaker of Parliament Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula lost a court bid to prevent the authorities from detaining her over allegations of corruption, and now faces arrest.
Judge Sulet Potterill handed down the ruling in the High Court in Pretoria, the capital, on Tuesday, April 1, 2024.
“This court is not a means to declare an arrest which has not taken place unlawful or that it would be unlawful or explain a view thereon,” judge Sulet Potterill said.
“I am therefore not granting this order,” the judge added.
Mapisa-Nqakula, a senior ANC leader facing possible graft charges from her time as defence minister, filed an urgent court application. She sought to compel the National Prosecuting Authority to suspend plans for her arrest and provide evidence related to the case.
This controversy arises just two months before South Africa’s national elections, with the ANC facing the risk of losing its national majority for the first time in thirty years.
Dissatisfaction with the ANC is evident in opinion polls, driven by concerns such as its handling of state corruption and failure to arrest officials implicated in graft cases.
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