South Africa's courts were packed with drama on Thursday as judges heard fresh claims of corruption, secret relationships, police misconduct and murder.
In Pretoria: businesswoman Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndlovu returned to the witness stand in the corruption trial of former Defence Minister and National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula.
Ntsondwa-Ndlovu told the court she feared for her life after allegedly paying bribes to the former minister.
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She claimed that in November 2017, Mapisa-Nqakula discussed funeral arrangements for her father even though he was still alive.
The witness also insisted that she and Mapisa-Nqakula used coded language when discussing alleged bribe payments.
But defence lawyer Advocate Siyabulela Mapoma challenged that claim.
He argued that many of the messages between the two women contained no coded language, suggesting there was never any secret agreement.
Ntsondwa-Ndlovu rejected that argument and maintained that coded words were used throughout their dealings.
Mapisa-Nqakula admits Ntsondwa-Ndlovu visited her home but denies receiving the alleged R150,000 payment or demanding bribes.
Meanwhile in the Johannesburg High Court: the trial-within-a-trial involving alleged underworld figure Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala and four co-accused continues in
The court is deciding whether evidence gathered after the arrest of accused Musa Kekana can be used in the main trial.
Kekana and the other accused face 25 charges, including conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, fraud and money laundering.
The defence says Kekana was never told why he was being arrested and was not informed of his constitutional rights.
It also disputes claims that he agreed to police searching his home.
Police captain Pimi Alfred Sekgobela insists he explained Kekana's rights in Sepedi before carrying out the search.
He also defended searching the property without a warrant, saying police relied on Section 22 of the Criminal Procedure Act because the situation was urgent and consent had been given.
The defence is expected to continue challenging Sekgobela's evidence by examining his official police diary after several contradictions emerged during his testimony.
Brakpan Magistrate's Court: In another high-profile case, former South African Police Service Special Task Force member Matipandile Sotheni returned to court.
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Sotheni is accused of murdering Madlanga Commission Witness D, Marius "Vlam" van der Merwe.
He also faces charges of conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder and theft.
Sotheni has denied all 16 charges.
He remains behind bars after he was refused him bail, ruling that he was a flight risk.
At the Madlanga Commission: former Investigating Directorate Against Corruption head Andrea Johnson again faced tough questions about her relationship with Crime Intelligence deputy head Lieutenant General Feroz Khan.
Evidence leaders said they have WhatsApp messages suggesting the pair were much closer than Johnson had previously indicated.
The messages were not shown in public because they contain sensitive information, including references to children.
But evidence leader Mahlape Sello told the commission that Khan regularly greeted Johnson with the words, "Hey, gorgeous".
He said if Johnson confirmed they addressed each other that way, it would support evidence that they had a very close relationship.
Another witness is expected to appear before the commission on Thursday.
