Mapisa-Nqakula Trial Turns to Witness Cooperation, Oversight
Defence witness strategy and subpoenas test court authority in corruption case
The corruption trial of former National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula resumed in the Pretoria High Court on Thursday morning, with the defence preparing to call a new witness to the stand and with questions of witness cooperation and judicial oversight now moving to the centre of the proceedings.
Mapisa-Nqakula, who once held one of the most senior offices in Parliament, faces 12 counts of corruption and one count of money laundering. The State alleges that she solicited R4.5 million in corrupt payments from a Defence Force contractor, and that she ultimately pocketed R2.2 million of that amount, using it to pay contractors who renovated her house in cash.
Her testimony in the matter has now concluded. The focus of the trial shifts to the witnesses she intends to call in her own defence. On Friday morning, Mapisa-Nqakula will call a new witness, while two other witnesses are being subpoenaed after reportedly becoming unwilling to engage with the defence team.
The issue of those reluctant witnesses was placed before the court on Wednesday, when her lawyer, Siyabulela Mapoma, addressed the bench on the defence’s interaction with them. According to Mapoma, the difficulties began after the names were shared with the prosecution. “We gave the names of the witnesses to the State. They were then visited and after that, they became reluctant to talk to us,” he told the court.
The two witnesses at the centre of the subpoena process are Defence Force officials working in the finance department. They are likely to be summoned to take the stand on Monday, extending the court’s involvement in compelling testimony from state officials whose accounts may bear on the allegations.
Mapoma has indicated that the witness who will testify on Friday is expected to give only brief testimony, suggesting the defence’s case will unfold in stages rather than through a single extended account. Meanwhile, the subpoenaing of the two finance officials will test the court’s authority to secure evidence from within the Defence Force’s own administrative structures, an institution already implicated in the allegations through the contractor at the heart of the State’s case.
The trial has previously drawn attention to financial records, with the State laying bare bank records as part of its effort to trace the alleged payments. Mapisa-Nqakula has denied the corruption charges and has insisted that she could afford the house renovations at the centre of the case, a claim that places her personal finances directly in dispute with the State’s version of events.
The case also intersects with her earlier stated plans to call SANDF financial officials to testify in her defence, a strategy that now appears to be running into resistance from the very officials concerned. The court’s willingness to issue subpoenas will determine whether those officials appear on Monday as the defence intends.
For an office-holder who once presided over the National Assembly, the proceedings carry particular weight for questions of accountability at the highest levels of parliamentary leadership. The charges allege that the former Speaker solicited and received corrupt payments from a contractor doing business with the Defence Force, an arrangement the State says was concealed through cash payments for renovations to her home.
As the trial continues, attention will fall on Friday’s brief testimony and on whether the subpoenaed Defence Force finance officials appear on Monday. Further coverage of the proceedings is available at https://www.ewn.co.za/new-witness-expected-to-take-stand-in-mapisa-nqakula-corruption-trial/
The Pretoria High Court will remain the venue where the competing accounts are tested, with the defence’s witness list, the State’s financial evidence, and the court’s supervisory role all shaping how the case against the former Speaker proceeds.
Q&A
What charges does Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula face?
She faces 12 counts of corruption and one count of money laundering, with the State alleging she solicited R4.5 million in corrupt payments from a Defence Force contractor and pocketed R2.2 million of that amount.
Why are two Defence Force officials being subpoenaed?
The two SANDF finance department officials reportedly became unwilling to engage with the defence team after their names were shared with the prosecution, so the court is being asked to compel their testimony, likely on Monday.
What did her lawyer Siyabulela Mapoma tell the court?
He said the defence gave the witnesses' names to the State, the witnesses were then visited, and after that they became reluctant to talk to the defence.
How has Mapisa-Nqakula responded to the allegations?
She has denied the corruption charges and insisted she could afford the house renovations at the centre of the case, a claim that places her personal finances directly in dispute with the State's version of events.