Arrest warrant stayed for sick Mapisa-Nqakula
A warrant of arrest has been issued for former National Assembly Speaker and Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula after she failed to appear for her corruption and money-laundering trial at the High Court in Pretoria on Friday
The warrant will be held over until November 11, when the trial is scheduled to resume.
Mapisa-Nqakula’s defence counsel, Siyabulela Mapoma, presented a medical certificate on her behalf and requested a postponement. The state confirmed that it had received the medical report and did not oppose the application.
The same court had previously dismissed Mapisa-Nqakula’s application to have the corruption and money-laundering charges against her withdrawn.
Mapisa-Nqakula faces 12 counts of corruption and one count of money laundering. The charges relate to her tenure as Defence and Military Veterans Minister, during which she is alleged to have solicited and received R4.5 million in kickbacks from SANDF contractor Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndlovu between 2016 and 2019.
The trial had previously been postponed after Mapisa-Nqakula fell ill while on the stand.
During her testimony, Mapisa-Nqakula maintained that the famous wig referred to in WhatsApp conversations with military contractor Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndlovu was a genuine gift and not a coded reference to money.
She was questioned why she repeatedly mentioned the wig in messages exchanged with the contractor.
The trial has been postponed to November 11 to November 20, with a second session scheduled for November 30 to December 4.
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