Mapisa-Nqakula trial: State ‘proves millions changed hands, but not the quid pro quo’
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Former South African defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula is seeking a discharge in her corruption and money laundering trial. Her legal team argues the State has failed to prove a 'quid pro quo' for the millions allegedly paid to her by a contractor.
Why it matters
The case is a high-profile test of South Africa's judicial ability to hold senior political figures accountable for alleged graft.
In about a week, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will likely know her fate in her R4.55m corruption and money laundering trial, after her lawyers argued that the State’s evidence was too weak to sustain the case against her.
31 Aug 2026 Former South African defence minister and former Speaker of the National Assembly Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula. (Photo: Reuters / Siphiwe Sibeko) Dive Deeper Speed Read Summary Listen Dive Deeper Former defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula believes the State’s corruption and money laundering case against her is weak and should not continue, as it relies heavily on one witness whose evidence was contradicted, and on WhatsApp messages whose reliability cannot be confirmed.
On Monday, Mapisa-Nqakula’s legal team asked the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Pretoria to discharge her under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Act, arguing that the State had failed to present enough evidence for her to be convicted.
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