Mapisa-Nqakula trial: Witness tells of ‘bribes’ of gift-wrapped cash, use of code words

Former National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula is currently on trial for corruption in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria. The State’s main witness in thetrial of former speaker of Parliament, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula,has testified in theGauteng High Court, Pretoria about the alleged coded language used by the accused in an alleged bribery scheme. trial of former speaker of Parliament, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula,has testified in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria about the alleged coded language used by the accused in an alleged bribery scheme.

The witness Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu alleges that she paid bribes to Mapisa-Nqakula at the time when shewas the minister of defence. The witness Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu alleges that she paid bribes to Mapisa-Nqakula at the time when she Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu was at the time of the alleged offences, the sole director of Umkhombe Marine Pty Ltd. She held a tender with the SANDF to provide logistics services to the defence force.

She testified that she gave Mapisa-Nqakula money after she had obtained the R79 million tender. According to the witness, some of the money was wrapped as gifts. Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu said the former minister often used coded language when she requested money including words such as “padkos”, “wig” and the African name for African sage Mapisa-Nqakula has pleaded not guilty to 12 counts of corruption and money laundering. The State alleges that she solicited and received R4.5 million from Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, with R2.1 million having been paid in cash.