Defence attacks a 33-page financial report as flawed while witnesses describe repeated cash handovers to former defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, who faces corruption and money-laundering charges.

A chief financial investigator has told the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Pretoria that even if former defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and her husband, Charles, had saved every cash withdrawal they made from their bank accounts over two years, they still would not have had enough money to pay for the extensive cash-funded renovations at their Bruma home.

Some of the renovations included a walk-in dressing room, a remodelled main bathroom, underfloor heating, R600,000 motorised curtains, a solar power system and gold-trimmed wardrobes. The entrance hall alone cost R500,000, while luxury furniture, including couches, display units and ornamental chairs, cost a further R375,000.

Wynand Wessels, the former chief financial investigator at the National Prosecuting Authority's Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac), took the witness stand on Thursday after analysing bank records, financial statements, WhatsApp messages and other documentary evidence in the police docket.

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FOR CONTEXT Ex-minister Mapisa-Nqakula paid in cash for R1.8m home renovation, court told August 5, 2026 His investigation sought to determine whether the cash withdrawn from the Mapisa-Nqakulas' bank accounts could account for the money allegedly paid to contractors who renovated the Bruma property, and whether those withdrawals matched communications and meetings between...