Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has welcomed the raid at her house in Bruma, Johannesburg, by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), but stuck to her guns that she was innocent.
This came as President Cyril Ramaphosa avoided questions in Parliament on the raid at Mapisa-Nqakula’s house.
Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen said the reason there was a raid at the Speaker’s house was because Ramaphosa had delayed in implementing lifestyle audits on his ministers.
Steenhuisen said Ramaphosa made the announcement in 2018, but was only announcing a few months before the elections that they will start the process of conducting lifestyle audits on ministers.
Ramaphosa was on Tuesday answering questions in Parliament.
Mapisa-Nqakula confirmed that she could not preside over the question and answer session with Ramaphosa because of the operation by the law enforcement agencies at her Johannesburg house.
The Speaker maintained that she was innocent. The raid follows allegations by a defence contractor that she received bribes of R2.3 million when she was Minister of Defence.
But Mapisa-Nqakula denied the allegations on Tuesday.
“The Speaker steadfastly upholds her strong conviction of innocence, and reaffirms that she has nothing to hide. In line with this, she has welcomed investigators into her home, cooperating fully during the extensive search that lasted five hours.
“This morning’s events have inevitably interrupted the Speaker’s Parliamentary diary, including her role in presiding over President Ramaphosa’s question and answer session in the National Assembly,” said Parliament.
The session was chaired by House chairperson Cedric Frolick.
But Ramaphosa avoided the question on the raid at Mapisa-Nqakula’s home when he was responding to questions on lifestyle audits for members of Cabinet.
He admitted that it has taken time for the process to be concluded.
When asked about members of the Executive who are found to be involved in corruption, he said the law must take its course.
“Any member of the executive who will have been found to have mismanaged the funds of the State must face the consequences. That has to be the case. Those who participate in activities that go against the ethics that are required, must face consequences and that is something I am clear on,” said Ramaphosa.
The president also said they will now implement lifestyle audits on ministers.
The process may have taken long, but it was finally being implemented. It will be led by Director-General in the Presidency Phindile Baleni.
“One of the reasons why we have directed that it should be the director-general, it is because even members’ interests are managed by the director-general in her office and we wanted this process to reside there. It is in that regard these audits are continuing.
“This had initially been outsourced and in the end we found that the coverage was not as effective as we wanted it to be. It is now in the right place, under the right management and the process continues. That office has now sourced competent skilled personnel with experience in conducting lifestyle audits and the capacity building.”
Politics