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The Gauteng High Court in Pretoria has heard how former defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula allegedly made cash payments of over R1.7m, money the state believes was sourced from bribes, to pay for extensive renovations and luxury furnishings for her home in Bruma, Johannesburg.
Mapisa-Nqakula is facing 12 counts of corruption and one count of money laundering involving approximately R4.5m in cash bribes and benefits allegedly solicited between 2016 and 2019 from South African National Defence Force (SANDF) contractor Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu of Umkhombe Marine.
Out of the total bribe money, Mapisa-Nqakula allegedly received roughly R2.1m in cash, which the state alleges helped fund the home renovations. She is further accused of demanding a R2m bribe to secure a promotion for Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu’s husband, Maj-Gen Noel Ndhlovu.
Testifying on Tuesday, interior decorator Nomsa Shabangu and architectural draftsman Azwindini Mulaudzi detailed the work done at the Bruma residence.
Shabangu testified that she has known Mapisa-Nqakula since 2004, when she was introduced to the former minister by the late former Mpumalanga MEC Steve Mabona. Describing Mapisa-Nqakula as being “like a sister” to her, Shabangu said she was tasked with overseeing the renovations, interior design, purchasing building materials and paying contractors at Mapisa-Nqakula’s instruction.
While the original estimate was R352,000 for materials and R115,000 for labour, escalating scope pushed the total costs for materials and labour to about R1.1m. Shabangu also supplied an additional R600,000 worth of furniture and custom curtains through her furniture store, bringing the total renovation costs to R1.7m between 2018 and 2020.
Shabangu confirmed that all payments were made in cash, noting that this was standard practice for Mapisa-Nqakula dating back to 2004 because the former minister did not know how to make Electronic Funds Transfers (EFTs). She testified that these cash handovers took place in private, conducted either by Mapisa-Nqakula herself, her husband Charles Nqakula, or the couple together.
Of the R600,000 owed for decor, Shabangu said she received R400,000 in instalments between 2018 and 2020, with the final payment occurring in 2022.
The remaining R200,000 balance for curtains was never settled. Shabangu stated she did not press Mapisa-Nqakula for the money due to their close relationship, noting the former minister had promised to settle the debt using her pension upon retiring in 2024. She said the former minister has not paid her.
Mulaudzi testified that Shabangu introduced him to the Nqakulas in February 2018 to draft alterations for the Bruma house. He submitted a quotation for R69,682 on February 10 2018.
He said he received an initial R20,000 cash payment through Shabangu, which she confirmed came directly from Mapisa-Nqakula, and later received a R50,000 cash payment directly from the Nqakulas in a private meeting. While his plans were partially implemented, Mulaudzi stated he was never paid for subsequent plan modifications.
Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu previously testified that Mapisa-Nqakula frequently complained about expensive home renovation costs while soliciting bribe payments from her.
Cross-examination of Shabangu is scheduled to continue on Wednesday.
Earlier on Tuesday, advocate Siyabulela Mapoma SC, the defence counsel for the former minister, challenged the testimony of Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu’s husband, who is the former SANDF deputy surgeon-general, Noel Ndhlovu.
Mapoma grilled Ndhlovu regarding his knowledge of his wife’s business dealings. Mapoma disputed Ndhlovu’s claim that he never shared work-related matters with his wife, who held several military contracts.
On Monday Ndhlovu testified that he and his wife never shared work-related matters and maintained a “Chinese wall” regarding work matters. Asked if this wall held during the period of the alleged bribes, Ndhlovu insisted it did.
The court previously reviewed WhatsApp messages sent by Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu to Mapisa-Nqakula. In a March 2019 text, Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu shared an official SANDF document regarding eight overpaid pharmacists, noting that her husband was “afraid”.
Ndhlovu conceded in court that he had given these official documents to his wife after she asked for them, adding that they formed part of his affidavit in that case. Ndhlovu also admitted his wife accompanied him to legal consultations for his work-related court cases.
Furthermore, WhatsApp evidence revealed Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu told Mapisa-Nqakula that her husband was “losing his mind” over a document of a two-year contract extension of former surgeon-general Lt-Gen Aubrey Sedibe. Under pressure, Ndhlovu admitted he had complained to his wife about the situation.
Mapoma argued these admissions proved no “Chinese wall” existed. Ndhlovu defended himself by claiming the shared documents were public record and that he was merely sharing personal, work-related frustrations rather than compromising national security.
Mapoma continued to highlight several contradictions between the couple’s accounts. Regarding their relationship timeline, Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu previously testified they met in 2015, while Ndhlovu countered that they met in 2014 and only began dating in 2015.
Further discrepancies emerged surrounding an alleged 2017 armed robbery in Spruitview, where Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu was robbed while on her way to deliver R200,000 in bribe money to Mapisa-Nqakula.
Ndhlovu testified he rushed to the scene after receiving a call from his wife’s ex-husband. However, his wife’s brother testified she called Ndhlovu using a street vendor’s phone, while Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu herself claimed she called him using her iPad.
When pressed on which version was true, Ndhlovu insisted his account was the most accurate because the detail about the ex-husband calling was easy to remember.
Ndhlovu testified that after the robbery, he drove his wife to Mapisa-Nqakula’s house so she could deliver the money, though he claimed he only learnt the purpose of the trip months later. He stated he first became aware of the bribe payments in 2019.
This directly contradicts Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu’s previous testimony that she told him about the cash during their drive home from Mapisa-Nqakula’s house in 2017.
Ndhlovu suggested that either he or his wife made a mistake with the dates, though he could not say who was wrong and maintained his version was true. When Mapoma questioned whether Ndhlovu’s memory was fading, Ndhlovu denied suffering from memory loss, though he acknowledged that aging makes it harder to recall certain details.
Mapisa-Nqakula has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
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