WATCH | Mapisa-Nqakula addresses unpaid renovation fees - TimesLIVE

Former defence and military veterans minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has testified about why she has yet to pay interior designer Nomsa Shabangu the balance owed for renovations at her home in Bruma.

Mapisa-Nqakula faces 12 counts of corruption and one count of money-laundering linked to her tenure as defence minister between 2016 and 2019. State prosecutors allege she solicited R4.5m in bribes, R2.1m of which was allegedly paid in cash by South African National Defence Force (SANDF) logistics contractor Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu to secure government tenders and used the kickbacks to fund her home renovations.

WATCH | Former defense minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula is appearing before the Gauteng high court in Pretoria for her corruption and money laundering trial after an October 2 arrest warrant against her was put on hold. pic.twitter.com/rMg311604m

Mapisa-Nqakula has denied all charges, maintaining she paid for the work using her state salary and subsistence and travel (S&T) allowances from international travel.

Shabangu, who assisted with the renovations and facilitated cash payments to contractors, previously testified Mapisa-Nqakula owes her R200,000 for the project, which took place between 2018 and 2020 and cost between R1.7m and R1.8m.

She said the former minister originally promised to settle the debt on her planned retirement in 2019. However, Mapisa-Nqakula’s retirement was delayed when she was appointed speaker of parliament in 2021. She resigned from parliament on April 3 2024 amid the corruption allegations.

Testifying before the Gauteng High Court on Wednesday, Mapisa-Nqakula confirmed she received her pension payout in 2024 but has not settled her debt with Shabangu. She said her last payment to Shabangu was made in 2021 or 2022 after she left the defence department.

Former defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula is on trial for corruption and money laundering trial in the Pretoria high court. Watch the proceedings here: https://t.co/YbNgFDLzT6Video: Antonio Muchave pic.twitter.com/5xk1aO3Uk6

State prosecutor Emile van der Merwe asserted that Mapisa-Nqakula stopped paying the contractors as soon as her term as minister ended.

Mapisa-Nqakula said she continued making payments until she ran out of funds.

She insisted she would pay Shabangu “no matter what”, but claimed her pension funds had been exhausted covering her legal defence.

“Shabangu will be paid,” Mapisa-Nqakula said. “The only other thing I have is my small investment account.”

Architectural draftsman Azwindini Mulaudzi also testified that he was not paid in full. After quoting about R69,000 for his services, he received a R20,000 cash deposit through Shabangu and an additional R50,000 cash payment directly from the Nqakulas. Mulaudzi testified the couple later requested revised plans, which were partially implemented, but he was never compensated for the additional work.

Asked if she intended to settle Mulaudzi’s balance, Mapisa-Nqakula responded: “When I have the means, I will make the payments.”

The court also heard testimony regarding the source of the funding. Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu previously testified that Mapisa-Nqakula requested a meeting in April 2019, claiming she told her she had only R6,000 left in her bank account and urgently needed cash for her contractors.

Mapisa-Nqakula dismissed the claim, saying she did not recall her balance at the time or ever sharing financial details with the Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu.

“If Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu says I had R6,000, it’s interesting where she got that information,” she said, adding not even her husband knows her bank balance.

The state presented Mapisa-Nqakula’s bank statements, showing between April 4 and 9 2019, her account was overdrawn by just more than R6,000. Van der Merwe argued that without Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu’s money, Mapisa-Nqakula would have been unable to pay the builders, and that cash was intentionally used to conceal the origin of the funds.

Mapisa-Nqakula disputed the state’s claims. “I don’t have any reason to hide money to make renovations at my house.”

Van der Merwe further referenced evidence from Wynand Wessels, chief financial investigator at the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac), who testified cash withdrawals made by Mapisa-Nqakula, her husband, and their children were insufficient to cover the total cost of the renovations.

Mapisa-Nqakula rejected Wessels’ findings. “That’s not true,” she testified. “I was in parliament for 30 years and earning. I would go out and travel. Sometimes I would not have to spend my S&T when I travel. I’ve never asked for money from Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu.”