Former defence and military veterans minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has maintained that she did not request or receive money from South African National Defence Force (SANDF) logistics contractor Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu. Mapisa-Nqakula faces 12 counts of corruption and one of money laundering stemming from her tenure as defence minister between 2016 and 2019. She allegedly solicited R4.5m in bribes from Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, R2.1m of which was allegedly paid in cash, to secure and maintain government tenders.
Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, the state’s key witness, testified that code names such as indumba, impepho, snuff and wig were used to mask money requests. Mapisa-Nqakula disputed the authenticity of WhatsApp conversations presented by Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, in which the two allegedly discussed money requests and the promotion of Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu’s husband, retired deputy surgeon-general Noel Ndhlovu. Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu previously testified that Mapisa-Nqakula demanded a R2m bribe to secure her husband’s promotion to surgeon-general of the SANDF.
During proceedings, the court presented WhatsApp exchanges in which Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu allegedly told Mapisa-Nqakula that her husband was deeply concerned about a document extending the term of then-surgeon-general Lt-Gen Aubrey Sedibe. Mapisa-Nqakula allegedly replied: “That’s shocking, it’s not possible”, adding that she had also received the document and noting, “it’ll get slippery.” However, Mapisa-Nqakula denied ever having this exchange with Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, arguing that the phrasing was inconsistent with how she speaks.
Mapisa-Nqakula stated she had no idea where the messages originated and emphasised that the conversation never took place. She added that no one else, including her husband, children, or friends, had access to her phone. However, when asked if she could provide her own record of their WhatsApp history, she admitted she did not have one. Mapisa-Nqakula firmly denied the allegation, maintaining she never asked Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu for money.
State prosecutor Emile van der Merwe pressed Mapisa-Nqakula to admit to demanding the R2m bribe. Mapisa-Nqakula rejected this, insisting she had no influence over the appointment of SANDF officials. “There’s no such thing. Even Ndhlovu and Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu know that,” Mapisa-Nqakula said. “I’ve never asked for money from Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu. I can’t stand before court and put together lies about someone.
Mapisa-Nqakula had previously testified that Ndhlovu was passed over for the surgeon-general position because he lacked the necessary security clearance due to ongoing investigations, faced conduct concerns, and was not automatically entitled to the top role simply by serving as deputy. She questioned why she would demand significant sums of cash from the contractor, adding that doing so would be “vicious.”
Van der Merwe asked whether Mapisa-Nqakula had used any code words other than those presented in court to solicit money. She insisted she had not, adding that demanding such large sums would have been vicious and greedy, traits she denied possessing. Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu previously testified to giving Mapisa-Nqakula R150,000 in cash after a request was made using the code word “impepho.” However, Mapisa-Nqakula admitted to receiving only actual impepho, not money.
Key points
- Mapisa-Nqakula denies receiving bribes from Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu.
- The trial is based on allegations that Mapisa-Nqakula solicited R4.5m in bribes from Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu.
- Mapisa-Nqakula disputes the authenticity of WhatsApp conversations presented by Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu.
