Former National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula during her court appearance on corruption charges. (Photo: Deaan Vivier / Gallo Images / Beeld)Former National Assembly Speaker and defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula on Tuesday addressed one of the State’s key allegations against her: that she asked businesswoman and State witness Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu for R2-million to help secure a promotion in the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) for Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu’s husband.
Mapisa-Nqakula – who faces 12 counts of corruption and one of money laundering – hesitated before answering questions from her defence counsel, advocate Siyabulela Mapoma SC, regarding the alleged R2-million bribe request.
“I am quite baffled,” she said. “So this means that from the group of people that I had promoted at the time in the position I was in [defence minister], I had gone around asking for monies? I never asked for money from Nombasa.”
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/181102_Nombasa-selfie.jpg "Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu. (Photo: Supplied)")
She told the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Pretoria that Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu’s husband, Major General (retired) Noel Ndhlovu, a senior military doctor who served in the SANDF for more than 26 years, was “unappointable”.
Explaining to Judge Mashudu Munzhelele why Ndhlovu was passed over for promotion during her tenure, she testified: “Firstly, he never received the clearance. The fact that he was a deputy did not automatically mean that ... he would be the head.
“Secondly, he did not receive the clearance because, in any event, there [were] investigations taking place against him and his wife ... pertaining to his problems.
“The third one is something I mentioned initially, My Lady. His conduct, unfortunately, was what I would describe as mutinous and he’s aware of all three things I’ve mentioned.”
Mapisa-Nqakula said there may have been other reasons for Ndhlovu not being appointed as Surgeon-General, but ultimately the decision was not hers to make – it rested with the President in consultation with the head of the SANDF. As defence minister, she would ordinarily only be informed after the decision had been taken.
Her evidence came after Ndhlovu testified on 3 August that he was repeatedly passed over for promotion despite his relevant skills and experience.
Suspended from SANDF
Under questioning by Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac) prosecutor advocate Emile van der Merwe, Ndhlovu confirmed he expected to be promoted and noted that no qualifying official was senior to him.
Ndhlovu further testified that he had been suspended from the SANDF for nearly four years – from 15 October 2020 to 2 April 2024 – due to an investigation into a military tender awarded to his wife. (Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu was initially awarded a R104-million contract, which was suspended shortly after and replaced with a R79-million tender).
The State alleges that when Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu was summoned to Mapisa-Nqakula’s Bruma home in September 2018 under the guise of an ancestral message, she brought R100,000 in cash, expecting another request for money; however, Mapisa-Nqakula allegedly demanded R2-million to secure her husband’s promotion.
Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, who claimed to have given Mapisa-Nqakula R4.5-million between 2016 and 2019, said she refused the request because she believed her husband would be promoted on merit.
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/180623_fb_Nombasa-Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu-Maj-Gen-Noel-Ndhlovu.jpg "Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu (left) and her husband, Major-General Noel Ndhlovu. (Photo: Facebook)")
Hidden dealings
Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu told the court she initially hid the dealings from her husband to maintain a boundaries-based separation in their professional lives – a boundary she described as a “Great Wall of China”.
Ndhlovu echoed this, testifying that his work as a military doctor required strict patient confidentiality when treating high-profile figures, preventing them from discussing professional matters.
Despite this separation, Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu testified that her husband accompanied her to Mapisa-Nqakula’s Bruma home on one occasion, where she allegedly handed R200,000 in cash to the then defence minister.
Ndhlovu told the court that when he became aware of the payments, he was shocked and angry because he considered them unethical. He testified that he instructed his wife to stop making the payments and that she agreed to do so. However, evidence before the court shows that the payments continued, with Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu allegedly making more than five payments after this conversation.
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.
However, Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu previously testified about a different dynamic. She told the court that Mapisa-Nqakula was worried about her political future as uncertainty grew over an expected Cabinet reshuffle.
She testified that Mapisa-Nqakula asked her to “throw the bones” to find out whether she would keep her position as a minister. Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu said she performed the ritual and told Mapisa-Nqakula that the bones indicated she would remain in the Cabinet.
The trial continues. DM
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