Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula not fit to be Speaker 

10 August 2021

Note to Editors: Please find attached soundbite by Natasha Mazzone MP.

The decision by the ANC to nominate the disgraced former Minister, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, as a candidate for Speaker of the National Assembly makes a complete mockery of Parliament and the Constitution.

While the ANC seeks to give a glowing account of Mapisa-Nqakula’s tenure in government, the reality is that there is nothing to celebrate. She is not fit to lead Parliament as she does not espouse the principles of accountability and transparency required to lead the institution. This nomination is just an example of the ANC recycling an underperforming Minister.

It was particularly during her tenure as Minister of Defence and Military Veterans that Mapisa-Nqakula’s blunders bordered on the illegal:

She allegedly smuggled a Burundian woman, who had been in a romantic relationship with her late son, from the Democratic Republic of Congo to South Africa onboard an Air Force jet.

She also famously oversaw the ANC’s jaunt to Zimbabwe onboard an Air Force jet which was a violation of lockdown regulations but also a brazen abuse of State resources.

It was under her watch and knowledge that the South African Defence Force (SANDF) purchased the unregistered interferon drug from Cuba.

She’s been accused of living in the lap of luxury on the taxpayer’s dime.

Her and the Department blundered the investigations into the untimely death of Collins Khosa at the hands of SANDF soldiers.

There are clearly numerous instances of her seemingly abusing her position of power and disregarding ethics standards for her own political and personal gain.

How can the ANC nominate and support an individual whose track record is one of contempt of the very principles which Parliament seeks to uphold and promote?

The DA will not support the nomination of Mapisa-Nqakula.

Issued by Natasha Mazzone, Chief Whip of the Official Opposition, 10 August 2021