Mapisa-Nqakula says state witness was secretly at her ‘indumba’ - TimesLIVE
Former defence and military veterans minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula on Thursday told the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria state witness Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu was present at her indumba (traditional healing space) in 2015, a year before the two women officially met.
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 from Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, a South African National Defence Force (SANDF) logistics contractor, in exchange for securing and maintaining government tenders. Of that amount, R2.1m was allegedly paid in cash.
Before facing cross-examination by the state, Mapisa-Nqakula’s defence lawyer concluded her direct examination on Thursday, after which the former minister asked to place one more vital detail before the court.
She recounted that when her son passed away in 2015, she was working overseas and had to return to South Africa. During the grieving period, a continuous flow of visitors entered her home, and her other son suffered an epileptic seizure triggered by stress.
As a traditional healer, Mapisa-Nqakula said specific customs must be followed when dealing with a death. She asked a senior traditional healer, Gogo Stella, alongside other healers, to go to her indumba to pray and culturally report her son’s passing.
During the session, Mapisa-Nqakula noticed a person sitting at the doorway with their back turned to the room.
Don’t say something that will end up hurting another person. There are small things as a person you could lie about, but she didn’t have to lie about this. The whole country already knew my son was epileptic
“I asked who that person was while we were praying. I said if that person was a traditional healer, they should step inside,” she testified. Receiving no response, she instructed the individual to either enter or leave.
Mapisa-Nqakula said she remained unaware of the person’s identity until her arrest in 2024, when someone in her close circle revealed the individual at the doorway was Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu.
Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu previously testified that she first met Mapisa-Nqakula in 2016 at an OR Tambo International Airport hotel. Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu claimed she sought the meeting to investigate bribe demands allegedly made on Mapisa-Nqakula’s behalf by former defence secretary Sam Gulube. She testified Mapisa-Nqakula admitted to soliciting the funds and alleged they agreed to use code words for future financial transactions.
Mapisa-Nqakula denied this version of events, asserting they only bonded over their shared calling as traditional healers. She said throughout their interactions, from 2016 until they parted ways in 2019, Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu never brought up the 2015 incident or her son’s death.
“There was not a single day where she reminded me or said, ‘Do you remember the loss of your son?’ or referred back to the person sitting by the door of the indumba,” Mapisa-Nqakula said. “I only learnt of this in 2024 after my arrest.”
Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu previously testified she visited Mapisa-Nqakula’s home during that period as part of an official SANDF delegation.
Mapisa-Nqakula maintained she had no knowledge of her presence and accused the witness of cruelty for bringing up sensitive cultural details in court, including mentioning how attendees had to clap hands when Mapisa-Nqakula’s dlozi (ancestral spirit) surfaced.
“Don’t say something that will end up hurting another person,” Mapisa-Nqakula told the court. “There are small things as a person you could lie about, but she didn’t have to lie about this. The whole country already knew my son was epileptic.”
