South Africa's Speaker of Parliament, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, has resigned following corruption allegations. She is due to appear in court on charges of soliciting bribes in return for awarding contracts during her tenure as defence minister. Mapisa-Nqakula resigned on Wednesday, stating that the move was not an indication of guilt and that she could not continue her role due to the seriousness of the probe. A special police unit raided her Johannesburg home last month in connection with the corruption investigation. Mapisa-Nqakula's lawyers filed a request for a court order to prevent her arrest, but the matter was rejected on Tuesday. She is accused of making several demands for $120,000 (£96,000) from a company owner to secure a tender to transport army equipment back to South Africa. The resignation comes ahead of the upcoming general election, which some believe could be difficult for the governing African National Congress (ANC), which has faced repeated allegations of corruption and mismanagement of public funds.
