Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula Corruption Trial Begins, Faces 12 Counts Over R4.5 million in Bribes

• Former National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula’s bribery and money laundering proceedings have officially begun at the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Pretoria
• UDM leader Bantu Holomisa was called as the initial prosecution witness after first blowing the whistle in Parliament five years ago
• Evidence introduced by the State details an affidavit from a contractor who admitted to making 11 separate payments totalling R2.5 million to Mapisa-Nqakula

PRETORIA — Proceedings are officially underway in the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Pretoria against former Speaker of the National Assembly Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, who is facing 12 charges spanning money laundering and corruption over R4.5 million in alleged illicit funds.

According to SABC News, defence counsel Senior Counsel Siyabulela Mapoma admitted in court that no legal justification existed for Mapisa-Nqakula to accept funds from defence service provider Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndlovu. However, the defence noted that renovations and structural improvements were indeed executed inside her official office.

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Whistleblower takes the stand

Bantu Holomisa, leader of the United Democratic Movement, testified as the State’s key initial witness after initially raising the allegations within parliamentary channels. Back in 2021, Holomisa submitted a formal complaint to the chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence, asserting that Mapisa-Nqakula, who rejected being called corrupt, had accepted financial gifts and cash totalling R5 million from a military supplier from 2017 to 2019.

Testifying from the bench, Holomisa explained that Ntsondwa-Ndlovu directly disclosed the transaction history to him and confirmed she possessed documentation to verify the claim. Law enforcement agencies received a sworn statement from Ntsondwa-Ndlovu admitting she paid R2.5 million in bribes to Mapisa-Nqakula, divided into 11 individual instalments. Prosecutors outlined these financial requests step-by-step during their opening submission.

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Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula speaks on Phala Phala

In a related article, Briefly News reported on Mapisa-Nqakula's recent comments regarding the African National Congress's handling of the Phala Phala report. The former National Assembly spokesperson's admission of shame over the party's actions has sparked significant debate and scepticism among South Africans on social media.

Source: Briefly News