Ex-defence minister Mapisa-Nqakula says foreign travel allowances were paid in cash

Former defence and military veterans minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has testified she routinely received cash travel allowances from her department during her tenure between 2016 and 2020.

Mapisa-Nqakula appeared before the Pretoria high court on Wednesday where she faces 12 counts of corruption and one count of money laundering related to her time heading the defence portfolio during the same period. The state alleges she solicited R4.5m in bribes, of which R2.1m was allegedly paid in cash, from South African National Defence Force (SANDF) logistics contractor Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu to secure and maintain government tenders.

Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, the state’s key witness, previously testified that Mapisa-Nqakula requested and received about $10,000 (about R150,000 at the time) linked to an official trip to the US in September 2018. The contractor claimed she handed the cash to the former minister at her office at the Waterkloof air force base, an allegation Mapisa-Nqakula denied.