South Africa: Former Speaker of the Assembly to be tried in October

The trial of Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, former Speaker of the South African National Assembly, who is being prosecuted for corruption and money laundering, will finally begin on October 16.

This was decided by a court in the South African capital during a brief hearing on Tuesday. The case was immediately referred to the High Court in Pretoria, due to "its seriousness".

Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula faces multiple charges under her country's anti-corruption law and an anti-organised crime provision.

She is accused of having solicited from a bidder the sum of R4.5 million in the context of the award of a contract on behalf of the South African Army. The former Minister of Defence is alleged to have received bribes amounting to R2.1 million between December 2016 and July 2019.