The former National Assembly Speaker is accused of soliciting millions of rands in bribes while serving as defence minister.
Former National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula. Picture: AFP
Former National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa‑Nqakula is expected to learn whether she will be cleared of the corruption and money-laundering charges against her.
The High Court in Pretoria is expected to deliver judgment on Monday, 7 September 2026, on Mapisa-Nqakula’s section 174 discharge application.
Allegations
The former national assembly speaker is accused of soliciting millions of rands in bribes while serving as defence minister.
Mapisa-Nqakula has consistently denied the allegations. Her legal team has argued that the state has failed to present sufficient evidence to justify putting her on trial for the corruption charges she faces.
Section 174
The provisions of section 174 favour the accused; they are discharged from prosecution without having to testify, but with the same advantages as would have accrued if the trial had run its course and if they had been acquitted.
Last month, Mapisa‑Nqakula’s corruption trial was delayed after her defence team requested full transcripts of the proceedings to prepare a section 174 discharge application.
Witness transcripts
Mapisa-Nqakula’s defence team argued they had only received witness transcripts up to late July, with August records still outstanding.
However, Judge Mashudu Munzhelele voiced concern about the delays and proposed providing the defence with a flash drive containing all the files to avoid further setbacks.
Charges
Mapisa-Nqakula faces 12 counts of corruption and money laundering, with the state alleging that she solicited R4.55 million in bribes from South African National Defence Force (SANDF) contractor Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu between December 2016 and July 2019.
If the court upholds the section 174 application, it would result in Mapisa‑Nqakula being discharged at the close of the state’s case, sparing her from mounting a defence or taking the witness stand.
But if the bid fails, the trial will press ahead, with the defence expected to call witnesses and Mapisa‑Nqakula herself potentially testifying under cross‑examination.
Mapisa‑Nqakula’s alleged offences date back to her tenure as minister of defence and military veterans, a position she held from June 2012 until August 2021.
