CORRUPTION6 AUG 2026State turns to corroborating case in Mapisa-Nqakula corruption trialThe corruption trial of former defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has moved to the State’s corroborating…Hasina Kathrada4 min read

Mapisa-Nqakula has pleaded not guilty to 12 counts of corruption and one count of money laundering. The State alleges she solicited and received about R4.5 million from Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu between 2016 and 2019 in return for using her position as defence minister to benefit the contractor’s company, Umkhombe Marine. She denies the allegations After weeks dominated by the testimony of defence contractor Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, the corruption trial of former defence minister and National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula shifted this week to the witnesses prosecutors say corroborate her account.

The Gauteng High Court in Pretoria heard from retired military officers, members of Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu’s family and professionals involved in renovations to Mapisa-Nqakula’s Bruma home, as the State sought to corroborate allegations that the former minister received about R4.5 million in corrupt payments between 2016 and 2019. She denies the allegations. Rather than introducing new allegations, the prosecution focused on reinforcing the evidence of its principal witness while the defence sought to expose inconsistencies in the accounts of those called to support her version.

Retired Major General Dr Noel Ndhlovu, Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu’s husband and former deputy surgeon general of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), emerged as one of the prosecution’s key witnesses. Ndhlovu told the court he believed he was the strongest candidate for the post but instead spent about four years on suspension while his wife’s defence contracts were investigated. When he returned to work, he reported to an officer who had previously been his junior before retiring from the SANDF in 2025.

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Although he did not witness the alleged solicitation, Ndhlovu said he was shocked when his wife disclosed she had allegedly been making cash payments to Mapisa-Nqakula. He testified that he instructed her to stop because he believed the payments were wrong.

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