Retired general details irregularities flagged in SANDF repatriations contract

Share current article via EmailShare current article via FacebookShare current article via TwitterShare current article via LinkedInInnocentia NkadimengJournalist

Opens in new windowOpens in new windowOpens in new windowOpens in new windowOpens in new windowOpens in new windowOpens in new windowOpens in new windowEnter fullscreen mode displaying this image.ExpandTestifying in the corruption trial of former defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, retired Maj-Gen Sandile Sizani said he identified red flags in Umkhombe Marine’s contract before it was awarded. Picture: Antonio Muchave Story audio is generated using AI

Retired South African National Defence Force (SANDF) chief director of intelligence Maj-Gen Sandile Sizani has testified that he spotted red flags in the contract of Umkhombe Marine, a logistics company owned by defence contractor Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, even before it was awarded.

Sizani appeared before the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Friday in the corruption and money laundering trial of former defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula as a witness for the defence.

The former minister faces 12 counts of corruption and one count of money laundering linked to her tenure between 2016 and 2019. She is accused of soliciting R4.5m in bribes, R2.1m of which was allegedly paid in cash from Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu to secure and maintain government tenders. Mapisa-Nqakula has denied all charges.

Between 2014 and 2016, Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu was awarded multi-million-rand contracts to transport and repatriate SANDF military equipment from peacekeeping missions in Africa back to South Africa.

Sizani, who worked in defence intelligence from 1994 until 2018, investigated alleged procurement fraud and corruption in the Umkhombe Marine contract at the time.

He told the court that he had only ever visited Mapisa-Nqakula’s house once to either deliver or collect a document for former SANDF chief Solly Shoke.

He testified that his only direct interaction with the former minister regarding the case occurred when he bumped into her in the SANDF headquarters parking lot, where he flagged the lack of progress on the Umkhombe Marine investigation.

According to Sizani, Shoke assigned the case to him before suddenly taking it away and instructing him to hand it over to the military police. Sizane said he provided the military police with a file containing enough evidence to warrant arrests if further investigation was conducted, and raised alarms when no subsequent action was taken.

“It’s on the basis of that that I took the opportunity to raise it with the minister. I was happy it was given to the police, but nothing was happening. The minister said she would discuss it with Shoke,” Sizane testified.

He explained that he was relieved when the case was taken off his hands because Shoke had placed strict conditions on his investigation.

“When Shoke gave me the case, he explicitly said to me that I should not involve any other person and I must report directly to him. It limited my investigation,” Sizani said. “To receive an instruction that restricts you meant I couldn’t use the pool of investigators I had.”

On the red flags he said he uncovered, Sizani pointed out that Umkhombe Marine claimed to have chartered an aircraft to repatriate equipment to South Africa, yet the plane had already landed at Waterkloof Air Force Base days before the tender was even discussed.

Sizani stated that all aircraft clearances had to go through counter-intelligence, which he headed, and this specific flight never crossed his desk. He testified that he had no knowledge of the flight or who approved it. When asked why he did not launch a separate probe into the unauthorised aircraft, he said he saw no need to duplicate efforts once the broader matter was handed over to the military police.

During cross-examination, state prosecutor Emile van der Merwe presented an affidavit Sizani had signed regarding the alleged procurement fraud. Asked if he had reviewed the document before testifying, Sizani said he saw no need to read it because it had his signature, confirming that its contents were accurate.

However, Van der Merwe pointed out a discrepancy between Sizani’s testimony and his sworn statement regarding where he had raised his concerns with Mapisa-Nqakula. While Sizani testified that he met the minister in the defence headquarters parking lot, his affidavit stated the conversation took place in her office.

Confronted with the contradiction, Sizani said he may have made a mistake, suggesting he had met Shoke in his office and the minister in the parking lot. Van der Merwe pressed the issue, reminding Sizani that he had just vouched for the affidavit’s accuracy because he would not have signed an incorrect statement, thereby calling the reliability of his testimony into question.

Van der Merwe put it to Sizani that when Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu encountered issues regarding her contracts, it was the former minister who stopped the processes. Sizani said he couldn’t comment on that.

The matter has been postponed to Monday for further evidence by the defence team.

Would you like to comment on this article?Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.