South Africa's former parliament speaker, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula was charged with corruption and money laundering on Thursday, piling new pressure on the governing African National Congress (ANC) party ahead of elections in May.

Wearing a yellow and blue dress and matching head-cover as she sat in the dock, the 67-year-old ANC veteran remained silent, and was later granted release on bail.

Mapisa-Nqakula, who resigned her speaker post Wednesday, appeared before a court in Pretoria after she turned herself in to police and was formally arrested.

The National Prosecuting Authority, Bheki Manyathi, told the court that the charges against Mapisa-Nqakula are 12 counts of corruption, and one of money laundering.

Mapisa-Nqakula in a statement read by her lawyer Graham Kerr-Phillips, describing the case against her as weak, noting that she would receive a state pension which she said cannot afford to lose.

Coming just under two months before national elections, the case has added to the woes of the ANC, which is struggling in opinion polls amid a weak economy and accusations of official graft and mismanagement.

Mapisa-Nqakula, is the latest in a string of senior ANC politicians, including President Cyril Ramaphosa and his vice president, to become embroiled in corruption scandals.