Mapisa-Nqakula to face trial after court dismisses bid to end corruption case

Former defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will face trial after the Pretoria High Court dismissed her bid to have corruption charges dropped, according to court documents. The ruling came on Monday following Mapisa-Nqakula's application to avoid a full defense and take the stand during her trial. Her legal team argued that the State did not present enough evidence to continue the proceedings.

Judge Mashudu Munzhelele's ruling allows the 12-count corruption and one count of money laundering case against her to proceed. She is alleged to have accepted R4.5 million in bribes, including R2.1 million in cash from Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, a defence force service provider, between 2016 and 2019. Mapisa-Nqakula resigned from her roles as National Assembly speaker and Member of Parliament in April 2024 and turned herself in to police in Lyttelton later that month, following the court's rejection of her attempt to prevent her arrest in March 2024.