CORRUPTION TRIAL : Why Mapisa-Nqakula paid cash to renovation workers — ‘I’m not an EFT person’

Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula’s evidence was cut short on Wednesday, 9 September, after she fell ill during a court break and required medical attention, but before she left court she testified about why workers renovating her home in Bruma, Johannesburg, were paid in cash.

The former defence minister and National Assembly speaker was asked about the payments during her evidence in chief in the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, where she is on trial on corruption and money-laundering charges.

The court heard earlier in the trial that the renovations to her Johannesburg home, cost between R1.6-million and R1.8-million and included about R600,000 for curtains.

She, however, disputed these figures, suggesting they were exaggerated and that they included art and furniture.

Mapisa-Nqakula’s lawyer, Siyabulela Mapoma, asked her why she had paid interior designer Nomsa Patricia Betty Shabangu in cash rather than using electronic transfers.

“Why did you use cash to pay Nomsa and not use any other form of payment?” he asked.

“I am not an EFT person. Ever since they did away with cheques, I struggled,” Mapisa-Nqakula said.

She said it had taken her years to learn how to use electronic transfers and that she only became comfortable with them after retiring.

“It took me a very long time, my lady, to learn how to use this EFT and in fact, I only got to necessarily learn about it now that I am on retirement,” she said.

Practical reason for cash payments

Mapisa-Nqakula said there was also a practical reason for using cash as some of the workers involved in the renovations did not operate bank accounts and expected to be paid in cash.

She said the workers wanted their money on Fridays rather than being given cheques.

When they had cash, she and her husband, Charles, would pay Shabangu in cash. When there wasn’t cash available and there was something to be attended to or bought they would leave a bank card, she said.

This prompted Judge Mashudu Munzhelele to ask whether she and her husband regularly carried cash.

“So you were constantly having cash, especially on Fridays?” the judge asked.

“Not necessarily,” Mapisa-Nqakula replied.

She said their bank records would show that both she and her husband withdrew money from ATMs to make payments.

“If you had a look at my account, you would realise that I was withdrawing from ATMs because there was no other way. It is the same thing with my husband,” she said.

The R1.8m home makeover

The cash payments form part of the State’s evidence about renovations carried out at Mapisa-Nqakula’s home between 2018 and 2020.

Shabangu, the interior designer, told the court she had known Mapisa-Nqakula for about 22 years and regarded her as a sister.

She testified that the renovations, furnishings and décor eventually cost between R1.6-million and R1.8-million.

Among the biggest expenses were custom-made, double-volume curtains.

Shabangu said the curtains, rails and related materials cost about R600,000. The special fabric had been bought overseas by Mapisa-Nqakula because it was cheaper than sourcing it locally. Mapisa confirmed this on Wednesday, saying she in fact had bought some fabric in Egypt.

The figure caught the attention of Munzhelele at the time of Shabangu’s testimony.

“What kind of curtains are those for R600,000?” the judge asked.

Shabangu told the court about classic ornamental furniture bought for the property, contributing to the overall cost of the renovations.

‘She could not do EFT’

State prosecutor Emile van der Merwe also questioned Shabangu about how she had been paid.

Shabangu said every payment she received during the renovation project was made in cash, telling the court that Mapisa-Nqakula had explained that she was unable to make EFT payments.

The money was used to buy building materials, pay suppliers and settle the wages of labourers.

When Shabangu was not available to receive payments herself, she said Mapisa-Nqakula would hand the money directly to the workers.

The cash-payment evidence came as Mapisa-Nqakula was explaining her involvement in the renovations and the financial arrangements for the work.

Security concerns at the property

During her testimony, Mapisa-Nqakula also spoke about security concerns at her Bruma home, saying there had been multiple threats to her life.

She told the court that some security work was carried out at the property after the renovations.

The first intervention came in 2013 or 2014, when the Department of Public Works built a boundary wall at the property at a cost of about R100,000.

Mapisa-Nqakula said the security measures followed threats that had been detected by the state.

The security work was separate from the renovations overseen by Shabangu between 2018 and 2020, she testified.

**Mapisa-Nqakula’s health **

The former minister’s evidence was interrupted when she became unwell during a court break on Wednesday and subsequently required medical attention. Court was adjourned as a result.

Speaking to journalists after the proceedings, Mapisa-Nqakula’s legal team said they could not provide a diagnosis but believed she may have been fatigued.

This followed Tuesday’s early adjournment, when Munzhelele raised concerns about the accused’s tiredness, which she said was reflected in her eyes and some of the responses she had given to the court.

“We are unable to give a diagnosis, but she looked like she was fatigued and we cannot forget the fact that we have been in court since the 20th of July and now we are stretching closer to two months,” her lawyer Makhi Nogaga said.

“A court process is gruelling and frustrating even to us practitioners.”

The legal team said they hoped the trial could be brought to an end as soon as possible to avoid further health issues for Mapisa-Nqakula.

“We are hoping to finish [the trial] as soon as possible before we can have any more health consequences on her,” Nogaga said.

It remains unclear whether the trial will continue on Thursday. The legal team said they would be guided by Mapisa-Nqakula’s doctor on her condition and whether she was fit to return to court.

Mapisa-Nqakula is facing 12 counts of corruption and one count of money laundering and has pleaded not guilty.

The State alleges that she received about R4.55-million from businesswoman Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu between 2016 and 2019 in connection with contracts awarded to Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu’s company, Umkhombe Marine, by the South African National Defence Force. DM