By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Former defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has continued giving evidence-in-chief in her corruption trial in the Pretoria High Court.
Mapisa-Nqakula faces 12 counts of corruption and one count of money laundering.
She is accused of soliciting R4.5 million and receiving R2.1 million in cash bribes from SANDF contractor Nombasa Ntshondwa-Ndlovu between 2016 and 2019.
But the former minister has pushed back against the contractor’s version of events.
There is the R2-million request, which Ntshondwa-Ndlovu testified Mapisa-Nqakula allegedly wanted, in exchange for assisting in securing the appointment of her husband, Major General Noel Ndhlovu, as Sergeant General.
According to Ntshondwa-Ndlovu, her husband was never appointed, despite meeting requirements for the position.
Ntshondwa-Ndlovu also testified that she refused to offer the R2 million.
Mapisa-Nqakula vehemently disputed this, saying Ntshondwa-Ndlovu’s husband simply did not qualify for the post.
The former minister has also offered a very different explanation for another disputed item in the matter regarding – a wig.
Mapisa-Nqakula told court that Ntshondwa-Ndlovu offered to buy her a wig after she complimented the contractor’s hairstyle at the spousal forum.
She says she admired Ntshondwa-Ndlovu’s wig, calling it beautiful, and was subsequently offered one just like it in early 2019, after several WhatsApp exchanges between them about where it could be purchased.
Mapisa-Nqakula told the court she wanted it ahead of a trip to Ethiopia.
“What I recall is that I would have travelled to Ethiopia and I went as far as asking her “haven’t you yet found this wig?” I repeated my initial question as well: “Where can I get the wig from?” I was asking this, my lady, because in comparison to women in other countries, you would rarely find a woman walking around bald headed, “Mapisa-Nqakula explained.
The former minister also told the court that in most cases she remains bald since she lost her son.
But the State’s version of the “wig” story is very different.
During her testimony, Ntshondwa-Ndlovu told the court that she gave Mapisa-Nqakula a wig with R300,000 concealed beneath it.
She further claimed that references to a “wig” in their WhatsApp conversations were actually coded discussions about money, an interpretation Mapisa-Nqakula rejected.
The former minister also testified about an alleged plea for help from Ntshondwa-Ndlovu, saying the contractor approached her claiming that military police were closing in on her.
At the time, the Defence Department was investigating Ntshondwa-Ndlovu over allegations that she had irregularly secured a tender.
Earlier in the day, Mapisa-Nqakula told the court that Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu visited her Bruma home several times and confided in her about her personal problems. She said the businesswoman saw her as an elder, a traditional healer and someone in a stable marriage who could offer advice.