South Africa's Parliamentary Speaker to Be Arrested Over Corruption Charges

Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula faces imminent arrest after a court dismissed her bid to block it, amid allegations of receiving bribes from a defense contractor.

• Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, South Africa's parliamentary speaker, is accused of receiving bribes totaling $135,000 from a defense contractor between December 2016 and July 2019.
• A court has dismissed Mapisa-Nqakula's urgent bid to block her arrest, making it imminent.
• Mapisa-Nqakula, a senior member of the African National Congress, also sought an additional bribe of $105,000 that wasn't paid.
• Opposition lawmakers have called for her resignation over the allegations.
• The arrest comes as the African National Congress faces a challenging national election, with recent polls suggesting it could receive less than 50% of electoral support for the first time since 1994.

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