South Africa: Judge Challenges Witness On Alleged Millions Paid to Mapisa-Nqakula, With No Favours Expected

By Nonkululeko Njilo

After a day of contradictions, coded conversations and relentless questioning, the defence kept returning to one issue at the heart of the case: what was the money allegedly for?

By the end of Tuesday's proceedings in the corruption and money laundering trial of former National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, the focus had shifted from alleged cash payments and coded conversations to the motive behind the R4.5-million payments.

The defence spent the day challenging the State's key witness, Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, not only on inconsistencies in her evidence, but also on the State's claim that the payments she allegedly made to Mapisa-Nqakula, who was minister of defence at the time, were corrupt.

The line of questioning in the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Pretoria eventually drew Judge Mashudu Munzhelele into the debate, as she pressed Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu on why she had paid large sums of money if she was not expecting any benefit in return.

"Did you pay because you were expecting to gain favours from the accused?" the judge asked.

Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu said that was not the case.

Munzhelele followed up: "So, was it charity? What was it exactly if it was not meant for you to gain anything?"

Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu maintained that she made the payments because of Mapisa-Nqakula's position, influence, and to maintain a good working relationship with the Department of Defence.