Mapisa-Nqakula grilled over meetings with SANDF contractor Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu
Former defence and military veterans minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula was grilled in court over her meetings with South African National Defence Force (SANDF) logistics contractor Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu after admitting she did not have private meetings with other contractors.
Mapisa-Nqakula appeared before the Pretoria high court on Tuesday, where she 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, R2.1m of which was allegedly paid in cash, from Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu to secure and maintain government tenders.
Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, who is the state’s key witness, previously testified about the alleged gratification. She stated that she first met Mapisa-Nqakula in 2016 at OR Tambo International Airport, after the former minister allegedly made continuous financial demands through the late former defence secretary, Dr Sam Gulube.
Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu testified that during this meeting, Mapisa-Nqakula confirmed making the requests. The pair allegedly agreed to handle future communications regarding money privately, using code names such as “indumba” and “impepho”.
She met Mapisa-Nqakula for a second time in July 2017, when she allegedly delivered R200,000 in cash to Mapisa-Nqakula’s Bruma home after surviving an attempted armed robbery in Spruitview. Despite her injuries, she said, she proceeded with the delivery that evening.
She was driven by her husband, retired Maj-Gen Noel Ndhlovu, who remained in the car while she entered the house with a bag. Ndhlovu also testified that he drove his wife to the former minister’s home that evening, though he claimed he only learnt the true nature of the meeting a month later.
Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu alleged that when she handed over the money, Mapisa-Nqakula brushed off her injuries and accepted the cash. She further testified to a third meeting in November 2017, where Mapisa-Nqakula mentioned her terminally ill father and requested R150,000 to hire a night nurse for him.
At the time, there was nothing that made me think she had a grudge, until now … These court proceedings have helped me realise there was an issue.— Former defence and military veterans minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula
Mapisa-Nqakula denied ever soliciting or receiving money from Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, offering a starkly different account of their encounters.
“What Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu told the court is her version and not mine,” Mapisa-Nqakula said.
She testified that during their first meeting, the two bonded over their shared calling as traditional healers, maintaining that no financial requests were discussed.
She explained that the purpose of the meeting was to address complaints Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu had regarding mistreatment by the department, though they ultimately did not discuss the issue. When asked why the primary topic was avoided, Mapisa-Nqakula said she expected Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu to bring it up, as she had requested the meeting.
“I didn’t receive money from Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, and I never sent Gulube to request money from Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu on my behalf. There is absolutely nothing I discussed with Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu pertaining to money.”
Regarding the alleged July 2017 payment of R200,000, Mapisa-Nqakula disputed the timing and the state’s version of events. She testified that their second meeting took place earlier, in April or May 2017, and that Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu never mentioned being robbed.
“As I’m standing here, Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu never told me, not even once mentioned to me, that she was robbed,” Mapisa-Nqakula said.
She denied receiving money that day, stating the meeting was held because Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu wanted to confide in her regarding personal struggles with her sister. Mapisa-Nqakula added that had she known about the robbery, she would have shown compassion and Ubuntu, rather than ignoring her injuries.
Under cross-examination, state prosecutor Emile van der Merwe asked whether Mapisa-Nqakula and Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu were friends, family, or close like sisters at the time. Mapisa-Nqakula clarified that they were not friends, but held a sisterly bond strictly within the context of their shared traditional healing practice, rather than a familial connection.
When Van der Merwe pressed as to why Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu would share family grievances with someone she was not close to, Mapisa-Nqakula responded that she was simply offering support as a fellow human being.
“I wouldn’t know, but I didn’t have a problem with it,” Mapisa-Nqakula said. “I don’t look at someone through the lens of their status; the first thing I do is look at them as a human beings.”
She noted that they had no contact between their first meeting in December 2016 and their second meeting in early 2017. Mapisa-Nqakula confirmed that Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu requested the second meeting without disclosing its purpose beforehand.
Van der Merwe argued that the two were essentially strangers at the time, questioning why strangers would meet privately without a clear official reason. Mapisa-Nqakula replied that it was customary in her culture to welcome anyone seeking her counsel.
“In my culture, when a person requests to see you and you end up meeting, you don’t judge them by status. I’m not like that,” she explained.
Addressing the allegation that she solicited R150,000 in November 2017 for a night nurse for her terminally ill father, Mapisa-Nqakula confirmed that Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu visited her house and was told about her father’s failing health, but denied asking for financial assistance. She stated that hiring a night nurse was unnecessary because her sons helped care for him, calling the claim that she leveraged her father’s illness for money a lie, as her family funded his medical care.
She stated that the primary reason for that meeting was for Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu to seek advice regarding marital problems.
She added that Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu had asked her to mediate her marital disputes, but she declined because Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu’s husband was employed by her department.
When asked why she did not turn Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu away, Mapisa-Nqakula conceded, “People are not the same. I am myself, and perhaps I should have done what you suggested.”
Van der Merwe put it to her that their first three meetings were explicitly arranged for requesting and receiving money, arguing that if her version were true, there would have been no need for private, in-person meetings.
Mapisa-Nqakula explained that the initial meeting was set up via telephone, while the second and third meetings were arranged through WhatsApp messages. Asked whether she believed Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu held a grudge against her, Mapisa-Nqakula said she was unsure.
“At the time, there was nothing that made me think she had a grudge, until now,” she testified. “These court proceedings have helped me realise there was an issue.”
Mapisa-Nqakula was also questioned about a wig given to her by Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, which she failed to declare to the department. She testified that she did not declare it because she believed its value was under R1,000, contesting Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu’s claim that it was worth R2,000.
Under the Executive Ethics Code, cabinet ministers are prohibited from accepting gifts valued at more than R1,000 without permission from the president.
Van der Merwe pointed out that the wig was undeclared and that her meetings with Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu were omitted from her official diary, emphasising that a departmental minister should not be holding informal, undocumented meetings with a contractor.
The court further heard about Mapisa-Nqakula’s relationship with former departmental employees Nozuko Gqirana and Zukiswa Mahabeni.
State prosecutors presented bank statements showing payments from Mapisa-Nqakula to Mahabeni, including R2,000 in April 2021, R5,000 on June 17, 2021, and R10,000 on July 15, 2021.
Mapisa-Nqakula explained that the payments were reimbursements for personal errands.
“It’s possible I needed someone to buy hardbody chicken or handle personal tasks for me, and I would reimburse them,” she testified. “I cannot remember the exact details for those dates, but that is a distinct possibility.”
Van der Merwe challenged this explanation, noting that Mapisa-Nqakula had spent R7,000 at Pick n Pay in July 2017, arguing that the transfers were unlikely to be for routine groceries. Mapisa-Nqakula maintained that Mahabeni simply assisted her with personal errands.
Both Gqirana and Mahabeni have regularly attended Mapisa-Nqakula’s trial proceedings, with Mahabeni expected to testify as part of the defence’s case.