South African parliament speaker hands herself in to police

The speaker of South Africa's parliament has turned herself into the police amid an ongoing corruption investigation against her.

Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula handed herself over to the Pretoria Central Police on Friday morning and is expected to appear in court later in the day, local reports say.

She is accused of soliciting bribes in return for awarding contracts when she served as defence minister.

It is unclear whether or not she is under arrest.

Local media reports that she has filed urgent court papers to block authorities from detaining her.

State broadcaster SABC also reports that Ms Mapisa-Nqakula wants to step down from her position.

On Thursday, she announced that she was taking special leave from her role due to the "seriousness of the allegations," a statement shared by parliament said.

Earlier this week, Ms Mapisa-Nqakula's Johannesburg home was raided by an elite police unit, who conducted a five-hour search.

She maintains innocence and says she is cooperating with the investigators.