The State tore into former Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula’s version of events in the Pretoria High Court on Wednesday, accusing her of dodging simple questions as it drilled her on an alleged R250,000 cash payment disguised as “padkos” and a damning report on eight military doctors.
At the centre of the cross-examination was a SANDF spousal forum held in Zwartkop in 2018, where the State alleges defence contractor Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu handed Mapisa-Nqakula R250,000 in cash concealed in a gift bag.
The payment was allegedly referred to as “padkos” – a term for travel provisions, but which the State argues was code for a bribe.
Mapisa-Nqakula denied the allegation, insisting that whatever gift she received at the event was displayed publicly on the podium and that she never received money in a gift bag.
The State then turned to photographs from the same event showing Mapisa-Nqakula addressing attendees and hugging Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, using the images to challenge her claim that her relationship with the contractor was distant and professional.
The court also heard about a controversial report authored by General Noel Ndlovu concerning eight military doctors who were allegedly placed as clinical managers instead of medical managers, leading to what the report flagged as excessive and undue salary payments.
Mapisa-Nqakula was pressed on her knowledge of the report and the subsequent fallout within the South African National Defence Force.
She distanced herself from the contents, telling the court: “What I said was Mr Ndlovu was the author of the letter with regards to that issue, and that he was ready to go to court on behalf of the doctors.”
But the prosecutor was having none of it, accusing the former minister of making serious allegations without having read source documents.
“You base the allegations in which you defame, slander, and commit criminal injuria without reading a source document,” the prosecutor charged.
“I will argue at the end of this matter that you struggle or refuse to answer simple questions,” the prosecutor told her in a heated exchange.
The grilling forms part of the State’s broader case that Mapisa-Nqakula maintained an improper and undocumented relationship with Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, punctuated by alleged cash payments and private meetings.
Mapisa-Nqakula is facing 12 counts of corruption and one count of money laundering. The State alleges she solicited R4.5 million from Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu and received R2.1 million in cash while she was Minister of Defence and Military Veterans.
She has pleaded not guilty and has consistently denied the contractor’s version of events, offering alternative explanations for the meetings and denying that any money changed hands.
The trial continues.
