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Former defence and military veterans minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has told the Pretoria high court how she first met the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) logistics contractor Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu and how they had bonded over their shared calling as traditional healers. Mapisa-Nqakula took the stand on Monday to respond to corruption and money laundering charges after the court dismissed her section 174 discharge application.Mapisa-Nqakula faces 12 counts of corruption and one 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 Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu to secure and maintain government tenders.The state closed its case in August after calling 16 witnesses, including Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, the state’s key witness who brought the allegations against Mapisa-Nqakula.Taking the stand, Mapisa-Nqakula testified about how she first met Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu and the nature of their relationship.She testified that she received a phone call from Moira Granny Seape in June 2016, alerting her to an issue involving Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu. Seape warned that if the situation was not resolved, it would cause public embarrassment to the department.According to Mapisa-Nqakula, she was informed that Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu felt mistreated by the department after her contract was withdrawn and was planning to approach the Sunday Times with her story.Mapisa-Nqakula stated she was initially unaware of anyone receiving mistreatment from her department. However, out of concern for the contractor, particularly as a woman, she instructed Seape to pass along her personal phone number.Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu subsequently called Mapisa-Nqakula to explain her grievances regarding the cancelled tender and her perceived mistreatment by the department. Mapisa-Nqakula testified that she assured the contractor she would investigate the matter.Mapisa-Nqakula then convened a meeting with top departmental leadership, including former SANDF chief Gen Solly Shoke and the late former defence secretary Dr Sam Gulube, to raise Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu’s grievances.According to Mapisa-Nqakula, Gulube told her not to worry and promised to follow up on the matter. Shoke, however, was dismissive and advised her to stay out of it. Mapisa-Nqakula testified that she reminded them of her responsibility as minister to address concerns within the department, particularly those brought forward by women, and urged them to resolve the issue to protect the department’s reputation.She then assigned a defence official named Ngcobo to handle the matter and report back directly to the chief of the defence force and the defence secretary, rather than to her.Months later, Mapisa-Nqakula spoke to Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu again after receiving a call from retired Lt-Gen Derrick Mgwebi. Mgwebi explained that Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu had asked him to facilitate a meeting between her and the former minister regarding Gulube.Mapisa-Nqakula agreed to the request and met Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu at the InterContinental Hotel at OR Tambo International Airport in January 2017. Though Mapisa-Nqakula did not know what Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu looked like, Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu recognised her and introduced herself.In prior testimony, Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu claimed that her first bribe payment of R300,000 to Mapisa-Nqakula was delivered through Gulube. She testified that when Gulube later solicited a second payment of R400,000, she grew troubled by the continuous financial demands and requested a direct meeting with the former minister. Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu alleged that during their first meeting, they discussed the bribes and agreed to use code words such as impepho (sacred incense) and indumba (a traditional healer’s shrine) to refer to cash demands.Mapisa-Nqakula firmly denied these claims in court. She testified that during their meeting at the hotel, the two women bonded over their shared calling as traditional healers. She said they spent nearly an hour discussing their spiritual practice and did not discuss corrupt payments or tender grievances.According to Mapisa-Nqakula, Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu spoke about her farm in Midrand, explaining that it provided a place to harvest herbs like impepho used by traditional healers. The two women parted ways after the conversation.When asked why they never addressed the original purpose of the meeting, Mapisa-Nqakula testified that she expected Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu to bring up her concerns regarding Gulube, but she never did.Mapisa-Nqakula denied ever receiving money that Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu allegedly gave to Gulube on her behalf, and she denied instructing Gulube to request money on her behalf. She further denied that any code names were used to reference kickbacks, maintaining that “impepho meant impepho.”Mapisa-Nqakula testified that her next meeting with Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu took place around April or May 2017. Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu visited Mapisa-Nqakula’s home in Bruma to seek advice on personal family matters, noting that she viewed the minister as a trusted elder as a married woman. Mapisa-Nqakula said she offered guidance regarding Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu’s disputes with her sister. Following that visit, the two communicated regularly via phone, usually initiated by Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu.The two met again at an SANDF women’s event where Mapisa-Nqakula was a guest speaker, and Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu served as the master of ceremonies. They met briefly in Mapisa-Nqakula’s holding room before proceeding to the event. Mapisa-Nqakula noted that gifts were distributed to her and members of the spousal forum, which her protocol officer collected in accordance with departmental guidelines, and she received her gift a week later.This directly contradicted earlier testimony from Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, who claimed that Mapisa-Nqakula instructed her to meet in an events office during the function, where Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu allegedly handed over a $10,000 cash bribe.Mapisa-Nqakula’s testimony will continue on Tuesday, where she is expected to address the remaining allegations against her.
