Former Defence Minister Reveals Where She Got the Money To Renovate Her Home

Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, a former defence minister and speaker of the national assembly, has said that the money she used to remodel her property in Johannesburg came from her lawful wages, personal savings, and travel allowances that she had accrued over a number of years.

These comments were given by Mapisa-Nqakula during her testimony on November 11, 2026, in the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, during her trial for corruption and money laundering. She said there was no need to hide the source of the funds since she had more than enough money to cover the cost of the repairs.

She claimed to have worked for the House of Representatives for about 30 years, during which time she received a base income, bonus payments, and savings. Additionally, she said that her husband had a job and was able to bring in some money, while she received subsistence and travel allowances (S&T) for her official overseas visits.

Rather than using the purported funds acquired from defence contractor Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, the former minister claimed that these other sources of income allowed her to repair her Bruma home.

Neither the origin nor the usage of the funds for the home improvements should be hidden from anybody. According to what Mapisa-Nqakula told the court, she was receiving a pay cheque all the while, even at home. She also had incentives and saved a lot of money.

The State, on the other hand, has vigorously disputed her account, claiming that the accessible financial documents contradict her narrative.

Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu was engaged in obtaining government contracts via her firm, and prosecutors claim that she sought around R4.5 million in illicit payments from Mapisa-Nqakula. She allegedly got over R2.1 million in cash, which she allegedly used to renovate her home, according to the State.

Cash was supposedly the predominant payment method for the remodelling project’s estimated cost of R1.7 million to R1.8 million.

Advocate Emile van der Merwe, who was representing the state, questioned Mapisa-Nqakula and her family on how they managed to acquire enough money to pay for the renovations during cross-examination. He claimed that the former minister, her husband, and their two children had taken out too little money to cover the building expenses.

According to Mapisa-Nqakula, the State’s figures did not fairly represent her wealth and financial situation, hence she vehemently opposed the proposal.

The court has also heard testimony from Nomsa Shabangu, an interior designer, who claimed to have helped pay remodelling contractors. In a prior court appearance, Shabangu claimed that Mapisa-Nqakula owed her over R200,000 for services rendered on the property.

The ex-minister admitted that there was a balance due and said that she had planned to pay it off, but ran into money problems after devoting a large portion of her pension to legal fees.

Dismissing claims that she had revealed having just R6,000 in her bank account to pay workmen repairing her house, she denied ever requesting Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu for financial aid.

During her time as defence minister from 2016 to 2019, Mapisa-Nqakula is accused of engaging in unethical practices, which have led to twelve corruption charges and one money laundering charge. She insists she is innocent and has pleaded not guilty.

The State’s efforts to link the alleged corrupt payments to the house modifications she had done are still being pursued in the current trial.

Source: https://x.com/eNCA/status/2120590438851645675?a=-m4-7orj18vm87RNdZc&s=19

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