Former South African defence minister denies receiving R200,000 — TimesLIVE

Former South African minister of defence and military veterans Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula denied in the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria that she received R200,000 in cash from South African National Defence Force contractor Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu. She also said that during their meeting, she did not know about the woman's alleged armed robbery that evening, TimesLIVE reports.

Mapisa-Nqakula appeared in court on 12 counts of corruption and one count of money laundering. The prosecution alleges that while serving as minister from 2016 to 2019, she demanded R4.5 million in bribes from Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu in exchange for assistance in obtaining and retaining government contracts. According to the prosecution, R2.1 million of that amount was handed over in cash.

Account of the key witness

Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu previously testified that in July 2017, she brought R200,000 to Mapisa-Nqakula's home in the Bruma area on the same day she experienced an armed robbery in Spruitview, Ekurhuleni. According to her, the attackers did not find the money hidden beneath a car seat, after which she continued her journey that same evening.

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The witness's husband, retired major-general Noel Ndhlovu, confirmed that he drove his wife to the former minister's home because she was injured after the attack and could not drive. He said he did not know the true purpose of the visit and learned about the alleged handover of money about a month later, advising his wife to stop it.

The accused's denial

Mapisa-Nqakula challenged the timeline of events, saying that their second meeting took place in April or May 2017, rather than in July. She told the court that Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu did not mention the robbery and that the purpose of the visit was allegedly to discuss the witness's personal problems with her sister.

The former minister said that if she had known about the attack and Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu's injuries, she would have shown sympathy. She explained that she associates the concept of ubuntu with kindness and empathy. Mapisa-Nqakula also acknowledged that she knew Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu's husband was in the car, but said she learned this only when the witness was already leaving her home. Cross-examination is ongoing.