Pretoria – Former National Assembly Speaker and Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula says she never imagined she would one day have to appear in court to account for renovations carried out at her home.
Mapisa-Nqakula made the remarks on Wednesday as she entered her third day in the witness stand in her corruption and money-laundering trial in the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria.
She is giving evidence in her own defence after pleading not guilty to 12 counts of corruption and one count of money laundering.
The State alleges that Mapisa-Nqakula received illicit payments from military contractor Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu and used some of the money to fund renovations at her Bruma home in Johannesburg between 2018 and 2020.
The court previously heard evidence from Mapisa-Nqakula’s interior designer, Nomsa Shabangu, who said she received between R1.7 million and R1.8 million from Mapisa-Nqakula and her husband, Charles, mostly in cash, for renovations, furniture and décor.
The renovations included extensive work on the property, with evidence previously heard that the project expanded significantly from its initial estimate.
Mapisa-Nqakula has denied that the money used for the renovations came from corrupt payments.
Explaining why so many of the transactions were made in cash, she told the court that she had struggled to adapt to electronic funds transfers (EFTs).
MAPISA-NQAKULA TRIAL | Former National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula is being questioned about renovations to her home and who funded the work. pic.twitter.com/bjQGnVgpJe
— SABC News (@SABCNews) September 9, 2026
“Firstly, let me speak about myself, counsel. I am not an EFT person. Ever since they’ve done away with cheques, I’ve struggled,” she said.
“It took me a very long time, my lady, to learn how to use this EFT. I only got to learn about it now that I am in retirement.”
Mapisa-Nqakula said she also had difficulties dealing with the construction team involved in the renovations.
The State, however, alleges that the renovations were funded using money linked to the corruption allegations against her.
Mapisa-Nqakula faces allegations that she solicited and received about R4.5 million from Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu between 2016 and 2019.
She has consistently denied wrongdoing and maintained that the State’s allegations do not prove that she accepted corrupt payments.
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Compiled by Glaan Sibuyi
