The Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula
The Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula
It must be absolutely class being a senior member of the ANC. You never need to worry about a proper skills evaluation in your life, because nobody else really has the moral high ground. And, if the worst happens and you do get fired, things like this happen: Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula is now set to become one of the highest earners in Parliament.
That’s because she is running for the vacant position of House Speaker, after Thandi Modise was handpicked to serve in Cyril Ramaphosa’s Cabinet. Mapisa-Nqakula was nominated by her ANC comrades, but still faces a challenge from the DA’s Annelie Lotriet, who has also been put forward to challenge the favourite.
Ms Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and Dr Annelie Lotriet duly nominated. Judge Hlophe call for the voting process to be conducted by a way of a secret ballot. #ElectionofSpeaker
— Parliament of RSA (@ParliamentofRSA) August 19, 2021
NMN is highly likely to romp home to victory, despite the cross-bench competition. And, with her new role, the veteran politician can expect to pick up a very healthy wage going forward.
In fact, if Mapisa-Nqakula completes her journey from sacked Defence Minister to elected House Speaker today, she’ll have bagged herself an extremely healthy pay rise.
The voting has already begun in Parliament, with the entire process expected to take four hours. Mapisa-Nqakula remains a controversial candidate, after presiding over a few scandals during her time in the Defence and Military Department.
Her response to the SANDF killing of Collins Khosa, and the R215m Mapisa-Nqakula’s ministry spent on a bogus COVID-19 treatment at the beginning of the pandemic, have left some significant blots on her copybook.