The show must go on: Parliament announces Speaker Mapisa-Nqakula’s replacement

Deputy Speaker Solomon Lechesa Tsenoli will be filling the shoes of beleaguered National Assembly (NA) Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula.

Mapisa-Nqakula is implicated in bribery and corruption allegations involving more than R2.3 million, which date back to her time as the minister of defence between 2012 and 2021.

On Tuesday, the Hawks, acting on behalf of the National Prosecuting Authority’s Investigating Directorate, raided her Johannesburg home.

ALSO READ: Hawks raid Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula’s home in corruption probe

ALSO READ: Ramaphosa on Mapisa-Nqakula: ‘When processes reach a particular point, action will be taken’

Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula: Special leave and an urgent interdict

The Speaker — who has announced on Thursday that she would be taking “special leave” from her crucial role in Parliament — filed an urgent high court application to interdict law enforcement authorities from arresting her on Friday.

According to her, there is “no case” against her.

ALSO READ: ‘What bribes? Not me,’ Mapisa-Nqakula rebuffs allegations

National Assembly ‘remains unaffected’

In a late-night statement on Saturday. Parliament said the work of the National Assembly will not be affected by the absence of Mapisa-Nqakula.

According to Parliament spokesperson Moloto Mothapo the work of the National Assembly “remains unaffected”, and it will continue to fulfil its constitutional obligations and its programmes while the Speaker attends to the allegations against her.

Lechesa Tsenoli to act as NA Speaker

Mothapo announced that Tsenoli would serve as Acting Speaker during Mapisa-Nqakula’s leave of absence.

“According to the Rules of the National Assembly, specifically Rule 24, in the event of the Speaker’s absence, inability to perform her duties or vacancy in the office, the Deputy Speaker is required to assume the role of Acting Speaker.

“In light of this, Mr Lechesa Tsenoli, the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, will serve as the Acting Speaker during the Speaker’s leave. He will assume all functions, powers, and responsibilities vested in the Speaker,” said parliament.

Mashatile to face Parliamentary questions

Tsenoli will inform Parliament when it meets this week.

Deputy President Paul Mashatile and ministers in the economics cluster will reportedly answer questions regarding the matter in Parliament in the next few days.

SAAF plane was her ‘taxi’…

Pule Monama reported for The Citizen on the time when Mapisa-Nqakula converted a South African Air Force (SAAF) plane into a taxi to ferry ANC comrades to Zimbabwe when she was still the country’s minister of defence.

When asked why, she answered that she gave them a “lift” because they were coincidentally heading in the same direction as she was for her government trip to Zimbabwe.

In another outrageous incident of misuse of power, she used the SAAF plane to fetch her child’s lover from somewhere in Africa…