Mapisa-Nqakula's decision to step down 'should be commended', says Ramaphosa

JOHANNESBURG - President Cyril Ramaphosa says former National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula's decision to step down amid corruption allegations should be commended.

Ramaphosa was speaking on the sidelines of a tour in KwaZulu-Natal where he was taken on a walkabout.

Mapisa-Nqakula resigned as a member of Parliament and Speaker on Wednesday, claiming this is to deal with the over R4 million bribery and fraud allegations made against her when she was the Defence Minister.

According to the president, this was a respectable move.

"We should recognise that her level of integrity for our democracy has made her do this. That should be commended, it should be applauded and that's what it is," he said on Thursday.

READ: Prosecution in Mapisa-Nqakula case says it's closing in on a second suspect

Mapisa-Nqakula has denied interfering with tender processes during her tenure as the Minister of Defence.

She is accused of receiving kickbacks from a defence contractor at the time.

On Thursday, Mapisa-Nqakula made her first appearance before the Pretoria Magistrates Court - where the gallery was filled with media and her close friends and some family

Advocate Graham Kerr-Philips, who is representing Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, says since the discovery of evidence has not been made, they have relied on media reports to determine the circumstances behind his client's arrest.

Kerr-Phillips says they understand that between 2016 and 2019, Mapisa-Nqakula allegedly formed a corrupt relationship with an executive from the company Umkhamba Marine, which received several tenders from the Department of Defence.

The State alleges that Mapisa-Nqakula received R4,5 million in kickbacks from Umkhamba Marine - with R2.1 million paid in cash.

But Kerr-Phillips denies this: "That while I was Minister of Defence played no part in the tender adjudication process. The State would argue it is immaterial whether I did anything in return for any gratification which I deny receiving."

The matter has been postponed to the 4 June.