Former Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula was put on the spot in the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Monday as the State pressed her on an alleged R2 million payment linked to a top military promotion and the use of “imphepho” as a code word for cash.
Mapisa-Nqakula is on trial for 12 counts of corruption and one count of money laundering. The State alleges she requested about R4.5 million from defence contractor Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu between 2016 and 2019, and received around R2.1 million in cash. She has denied ever requesting or receiving bribes.
Under cross-examination, the State put it to Mapisa-Nqakula that she had asked Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu for R2 million to help her husband, Major-General Noel Ndhlovu, secure a promotion to Surgeon-General. Evidence previously led before court suggests Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu refused to pay.
Mapisa-Nqakula rejected the allegation outright.
She told the court there was no reason for her to solicit money for his appointment, arguing that Ndhlovu was “not appointable” due to issues including his security clearance and concerns around his conduct.
The court heard that Ndhlovu was later placed on precautionary suspension in October 2020 amid investigations involving him and his wife. His suspension was lifted in 2024, but he never got the Surgeon-General post and retired from the SANDF in 2025.
The State also confronted Mapisa-Nqakula with WhatsApp messages exchanged with Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu. She disputed some of the messages attributed to her, telling the court she did not send them and that the messages shown on page 17 of the court document were incomplete.
A heated exchange followed over the word “imphepho”, which the State alleges was used as a coded reference for R150,000.
Mapisa-Nqakula explained that imphepho is a traditional herbal incense.
“It is an herbal incense, the ANC uses it and I use it too,” she said, adding that Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu had given it to her for her husband.
The State suggested the term was being used to disguise requests for money. Mapisa-Nqakula denied this, saying she would never use imphepho as a code word because of its spiritual significance to her.
The State further put it to her that she had requested R150,000 on two separate occasions. She denied making those requests.
The cross-examination is part of the State’s broader attempt to discredit Mapisa-Nqakula’s version of her relationship with Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu and to prove that the alleged payments were bribes linked to defence contracts awarded during her tenure as Defence Minister.
The trial continues.
