PRETORIA - Former Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will find out on Monday whether she will be discharged from the corruption and money-laundering case against her.
The High Court in Pretoria has reserved judgment on her Section 174 discharge application under the Criminal Procedure Act.
Mapisa-Nqakula denies requesting or receiving R4.5 million in alleged kickbacks from former defence contractor Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndlhovu.
After the testimony of 15 State witnesses, Mapisa-Nqakula argues that the State has failed to establish even a basic case against her.
However, the State insists there is sufficient evidence to secure a conviction. Prosecutors argue that Mapisa-Nqakula’s influence was evident in the handling of Ntsondwa-Ndlhovu’s cancelled R104-million logistics tender.
The tender was later replaced by a R79-million contract awarded without a competitive bidding process.
The State also argued that the court could draw an inference from Ntsondwa-Ndlhovu’s evidence that she gave the former minister $10,000, equivalent to about R150,000. She alleges that Mapisa-Nqakula requested the money ahead of her trip to New York.
The defence has also pushed back against claims that the Mapisa-Nqakula household spent up to R1.8-million, much of it in cash, on renovations to their Johannesburg home.
It remains unclear whether Mapisa-Nqakula will testify if her Section 174 application is dismissed.