Mapisa-Nqakula says department should have reported S&T to SARS

Former Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has stated during her corruption and money laundering trial at the Pretoria High Court that her department should have reported her travel allowances to the South African Revenue Service (SARS) for tax purposes. The State questioned her on why these allowances were not declared to SARS.

Mapisa-Nqakula testified that unused Subsistence and Travel (S&T) money could be retained by ministers and claimed she used some of it to fund renovations for her home. However, her cross-examination was interrupted when she informed the court that she was too unwell to proceed. She requested that investigations be conducted between the department and SARS if the document in question does not contain details of the S&T allowances received, which could sometimes amount to five allowances.