South Africa’s parliament speaker resigns over accusations of bribery
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa’s parliament speaker has resigned and relinquished her seat in the legislature over allegations of corruption. Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula’s resignation came a day after she lost a bid in court to block her arrest. Prosecutors last week said they intend to charge her with corruption. Mapisa-Nqakula is accused of receiving about $135,000 in bribes from a defense contractor during her three years as defense minister. Prosecutors say she received the payments between December 2016 and July 2019. Mapisa-Nqakula announced in a statement on Wednesday that she tendered her resignation but insisted she was innocent of the crimes.