Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula Seeks to Have R4.5 Million Corruption Charges Dropped, SA Questions Her Bid

• Former Minister of Defence Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula appeared before the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Thursday, 13 August 2026
• The former minister's legal team announced its plans to bring a Section 174 application in her ongoing corruption case
• South Africans weighed in on the ongoing case and Mapisa-Nqakula's decision to bring forward an application

Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.

GAUTENG - Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula is seeking to have her corruption and money-laundering charges thrown out before she is required to mount a formal defence, something South Africans are not impressed with.

The legal team for the former Minister of Defence told the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Thursday, 13 August 2026 that they wanted the case against her discharged.

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Mapisa-Nqakula faces 12 counts of corruption and one count of money laundering. Prosecutors allege she solicited R4.5 million, including R2.1 million in cash, from defence contractor Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu between 2016 and 2019 in exchange for securing South African National Defence Force tenders.

Among the evidence before the court are claims that home renovations were funded using cash payments connected to the alleged scheme.

Defence argues that State evidence is insufficient

Mapisa-Nqakula’s lawyer, Advocate Siyabulela Mapoma SC, informed Judge Mashudu Munzhelele that the defence intended to bring a Section 174 application. Such an application, if successful, would result in a not-guilty verdict and the accused's discharge without the defence needing to present any evidence of its own.

The basis for the application is the defence's position that the State has not placed sufficient evidence before the court upon which a reasonable court could convict her.

Mapoma told the court that more than 16 state witnesses had testified during the trial and that their evidence required thorough consideration before the defence could complete its submissions.

He added that the defence had already begun preparing the application but could not finalise its heads of argument without full transcripts of the testimony given by those witnesses.

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The matter has been postponed to 20 August 2026, by which date the defence expects to have received the outstanding transcripts. Once in possession of the complete record, the parties will determine how to proceed, including setting a date for the Section 174 application to be argued.

What you need to know about Mapisa-Nqakula's case

• The South African Police Service raided Mapisa-Nqakula's Tshwane home on 19 March 2024
• She handed herself over to the Lyttleton Police Station in Tshwane and was charged with 13 counts of corruption
• She appeared in court on 22 March after she handed herself over to the police and leveraged her age to avoid jail time.
• The case against her was postponed to 9 July 2025 to allow the state to prepare for her indictment.
• During her 9 July appearance, the court heard how she allegedly demanded R4 million in bribery money and demanded a wig.

South Africans weigh in on Mapisa-Nqakula’s intentions

The case has attracted significant public attention on social media, with many sharing their thoughts on Mapisa-Nqakula’s attempt to have the charges dropped.

@errolbsk asked:

"Despite the evidence?"

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@sparx_ltd wrote:

"There's overwhelming evidence against her, unfortunately."

James Strawson questioned:

“Are more prisons being built yet? Half the country is going to be in jail soon, the way things are going.”

Peter van Reenen suggested:

“Well, maybe consult a witch doctor then. Throw the bones or put some pins in a puppet. Therein lies your salvation.”

Isabelle Minnaar asked:

“Why? What makes you different from the rest?”

Annetjie Van Staden stated:

“What a joke. Put her in jail.”

ANC Women's League distances itself from Mapisa-Nqakula

Briefly News reported that the African National Congress Women's League distanced itself from Mapisa-Nqakula.

The league sought to distance itself from her and corruption-accused Free State premier Maqeen Letsoha-Mathae.

The ANCWL stated that the party's renewal agenda influenced its decision not to support the two members.

Source: Briefly News