Pretoria – Former defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula’s corruption trial was cut short on Tuesday after she told the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria that she was too ill to continue testifying.
According to TimesLIVE Mapisa-Nqakula was undergoing cross-examination by State prosecutor Advocate Emile van der Merwe when she asked to leave court to see her doctor.
“I am not well,” Mapisa-Nqakula told the court.
“I felt it would’ve been an embarrassment to request to be released earlier on. As it stands, I don’t feel like proceeding. I’m requesting to go see my doctor.”
Judge Mashudu Munzhelele accepted that proceedings could not continue while Mapisa-Nqakula was unwell and postponed the matter to 2 October.
The former minister had returned to the witness stand as the State questioned her about her salary, travel and subsistence (S&T) allowances and tax declarations.
[WATCH] The High Court in Pretoria has adjourned proceedings in Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula’s corruption and money-laundering trial after the former Defence Minister fell ill. Mapisa-Nqakula asked the court to stand the matter down so she could consult a doctor. She was on the sixth… pic.twitter.com/JUQ3AUPBZM
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) September 29, 2026
Before the proceedings were halted, the State presented tax records covering Mapisa-Nqakula’s returns between 2017 and 2020.
The records indicated that her S&T payments had not been declared to the South African Revenue Service (SARS), according to the State’s case.
Mapisa-Nqakula acknowledged that her tax affairs were ultimately her responsibility but maintained that the Department of Defence dealt with the administrative side of her S&T payments while she was in government.
“All I know is that for all the years I’ve worked in government, I received my S&T. You can do a thorough investigation at the department regarding the issue,” she said.
She also asked the State to investigate the department’s handling of the payments.
“If this document doesn’t reflect the S&Ts I received, I ask that it be resolved between the department and Sars,” she said.
Mapisa-Nqakula added that she had never worked in finance or at SARS and said the department should explain why the payments were not reflected in her tax records.
Tuesday’s proceedings were not the first time Mapisa-Nqakula’s testimony has been interrupted by ill health.
Earlier this month, her testimony was also cut short after she became unwell. She subsequently missed a court appearance after her legal team submitted a medical certificate, with the trial later resuming.
Mapisa-Nqakula is facing 12 counts of corruption and one count of money laundering stemming from allegations linked to her tenure as defence minister between 2016 and 2019.
The State alleges that she solicited about R4.5 million in bribes from defence contractor Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, with about R2.1 million allegedly paid in cash.
Mapisa-Nqakula has pleaded not guilty and denies receiving corrupt payments.
Her cross-examination is expected to resume when the matter returns to the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on 2 October.
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Compiled by Glaan Sibuyi
