Former National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula’s testimony was abruptly halted on Wednesday after she required medical attention.
Mapisa-Nqakula was in the witness box for a third day as the Pretoria High Court scrutinised financial records relating to payments she allegedly received from a defence contractor.
The court examined discrepancies in the transaction records as Mapisa-Nqakula continued presenting her defence against 12 corruption charges and one count of money laundering.
The financial records are central to the state’s case, which alleges that Mapisa-Nqakula received millions of rands from defence contractor Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu between 2016 and 2019.
She is accused of demanding a R2-million bribe from SANDF logistics contractor Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu in exchange for securing her husband’s promotion.
Financial discrepancies
The financial statements revealed that some transaction references did not match the dates of her trips.
Mapisa-Nqakula told the court that the references were generally intended to indicate the travel date, return date, month and year.
However, she said some of the debit transactions did not follow this standard format.
She attributed the discrepancies to administrative delays, explaining that her assistants sometimes submitted supporting documents late and that the finance department could also take time to process them.
Mapisa-Nqakula denied ever soliciting or receiving bribes.
One of the allegations against her is that she asked Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu for the equivalent of R150,000 in US dollars, allegedly claiming that she needed the money to purchase curtains for renovations at her home.
She denied the allegation.
“I do not have curtains that cost that amount of money or even less. I do not mind having the plan of my house, the before and after, displayed here in court to show that. My curtains I bought them overseas (New York),” she said.
Mapisa-Nqakula fatigued
Mapisa-Nqakula’s lawyer, Advocate Siyabulela Maphoma, told the court that his client was fatigued.
“The main issue is the fact that she is tired. She went to consult with her doctor because it was almost visible that she is not okay. She was noticed by the court on Tuesday that she was fatigued; we need to remember the fact that we are stretching over to two months of proceedings,” Maphoma said.
Proceedings are expected to resume on Thursday.