‘Ill’ Mapisa-Nqakula not in court, case postponed
The court also authorised a warrant of arrest against Mapisa-Nqakula and held it over until her next scheduled appearance.
Former National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula missed her court appearance on Thursday due to illness, postponing the proceedings once again. Her legal representative presented a medical report dated September 9, indicating her current medical condition and expected recovery date. The case has now been rescheduled for September 16, 2026, with an authorized warrant of arrest remaining in effect until then.
On Wednesday, Mapisa-Nqakula denied receiving R150,000 from Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu for her September 2018 US trip, stating she received a standard allowance like other officials. She clarified that the trip's expenses, including accommodation, were already covered by the government. Despite the modest amount, Mapisa-Nqakula argued that it still constituted personal expenditure, which she used as allocated.
Mapisa-Nqakula resigned as National Assembly speaker and MP in April 2024, handing herself over to Lyttelton Police Station that same month. She faces 12 counts of corruption and one count of money laundering, accused of receiving and soliciting R4.5 million, with R2.1 million allegedly in cash from Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, a SANDF service provider, between December 2016 and July 2019. Both Mapisa-Nqakula and Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu have denied the allegations, with Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu now acting as a state witness.
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