ANC leaders close to corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula encouraged her to resign to save the party the embarrassment of defending her during a pending motion of no confidence.
Mapisa-Nqakula conceded on Wednesday after efforts to block her arrest on graft charges proved futile.
She stands accused of receiving more than R2.3 million in bribes from a defence contractor, who herself is implicated in a R100 million fraud case.