A South African cabinet minister appeared in court today after being arrested for alleged corruption.

Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Zizi Kodwa, a senior member of the African National Congress (ANC), faces charges of taking bribes of around £70,000 according to police. He denies any wrongdoing.

He and another suspect in the case appeared in a Johannesburg courtroom as the ANC was in talks on a way forward for the country after the ruling party failed to win a parliamentary majority in last week’s general election.

Mr Kodwa is a member of the ANC national working committee, which met on Tuesday as the party considers how it might form a government following the loss of its majority after 30 years in power.

The ANC has not given any indication as to which other party or parties it might strike a coalition agreement with.

Mr Kodwa was implicated in the acceptance of bribes from a businessman at a judicial inquiry in 2021 that looked into allegations of widespread government corruption involving ANC officials and others.

The accusations relate to the time when Mr Kodwa was the ANC national spokesman for the ANC and later the deputy minister of state security.

Police claim that Mr Kodwa used some of the bribes to buy a “luxury” four-wheel-drive vehicle.