By Thapelo Molefe
The corruption trial of former Defence Minister and National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has been postponed to 31 August, when her defence will argue that the State has failed to present enough evidence to secure a conviction.
The postponement follows the state closing its case in the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria after leading evidence from its witnesses.
Mapisa-Nqakula is seeking a discharge in terms of Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Act, which allows a court to discharge an accused at the close of the State’s case if there is insufficient evidence that the accused committed the offence.
The court confirmed on Thursday that the matter would return on 31 August for arguments on the application. Mapisa-Nqakula’s bail was also extended until the same date.
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“The accused will be on extended bail and the bail is extended until the 31st of August, 2026,” the judge said.
Mapisa-Nqakula faces 12 counts of corruption and one count of money laundering. The State alleges that she solicited about R4.5 million while she was defence minister between 2016 and 2019, with about R2.1 million allegedly received in cash from defence contractor Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu.
The State’s case included evidence from Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu and other witnesses about alleged cash payments and requests for money, as well as WhatsApp conversations between her and Mapisa-Nqakula.
The State alleges that Mapisa-Nqakula abused her position as defence minister to solicit payments from Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu in connection with defence contracts involving her company.
Mapisa-Nqakula has pleaded not guilty to all the charges and has consistently denied wrongdoing.
The defence has challenged aspects of the state’s evidence, including alleged inconsistencies in the accounts of witnesses and differences between the allegations initially made by Deputy Defence Minister Bantu Holomisa and evidence later presented in court.
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In earlier proceedings, the State presented evidence about an alleged R200,000 cash payment that was reportedly being transported to Mapisa-Nqakula when the vehicle carrying the money was allegedly attacked by armed robbers.
The State also led evidence from Major-General Noel Ndhlovu, the husband of key witness Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, who testified about his relationship with his wife’s defence contracting business and denied playing a role in the awarding of tenders to her company.
