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The Gauteng High Court in Pretoria has dismissed the section 174 discharge application filed by former minister of defence and military veterans, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula.WATCH | Former minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula appeared at the Pretoria High Court, where she is facing corruption allegations linked to claims that she solicited millions of rand in bribes while serving as defence minister. pic.twitter.com/oRZXUlNS3P— Times LIVE (@TimesLIVE) September 7, 2026
Mapisa-Nqakula faces 12 counts of corruption and one count of money laundering stemming from her tenure as defence minister between 2016 and 2019. She allegedly solicited R4.5m in bribes, R2.1m of which was allegedly paid in cash, from South African National Defence Force (SANDF) logistics contractor Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu to secure and maintain government tenders. Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu is the state’s key witness testifying about the alleged gratification.Last week, Mapisa-Nqakula’s legal team applied to have the case discharged under section 174, arguing the prosecution failed to build a solid case and provided no evidence proving she committed the alleged offences.Defence lawyer Siyabulela Mapoma previously argued the state’s case relied entirely on inferences and the testimony of a single witness, Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, whose credibility they challenged. The defence highlighted discrepancies between Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu’s claims and those of other witnesses, arguing she failed to explain the specific motives behind the alleged payments.Mapoma further contended the state could not prove alleged code names such as impepho, indumba, padkos, and “wig” were used to solicit money. Additionally, the defence challenged the credibility of WhatsApp messages presented in court because the police officer who retrieved and printed the chats was not called to testify.Delivering judgment on Monday, judge Mashudu Munzhelele ruled there is prima facie evidence requiring Mapisa-Nqakula to answer to the charges.Munzhelele said granting a discharge at this stage of the trial would be inappropriate, as the state has established a prima facie case directly implicating the accused through supported evidence. She noted the court is not required to resolve every credibility dispute or finalise witness reliability at this juncture unless the evidence is demonstrably of poor quality, which she said Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu’s testimony did not meet.Regarding the digital evidence, Munzhelele ruled such data cannot simply be dismissed, adding the absence of the officer who printed the WhatsApp records does not render the communications inadmissible.Addressing the alleged code names, the judge advised that while the court cannot yet confirm whether terms such as impepho or padkos specifically referred to money, this evidence must be approached with caution.Munzhelele ruled the evidence presented is sufficient to call on the accused to respond, allow the trial to proceed, and evaluate Mapisa-Nqakula’s version of events regarding the allegations. The trial will continue.TimesLIVE
