Mapisa-Nqakula expected to make first high court appearance in her corruption case

JOHANNESBURG - Former parliamentary Speaker, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, is expected to make her first appearance on Wednesday in the Pretoria High Court for her multi-million rand corruption case.

The matter has been transferred to a high court in preparation for trial.

Mapisa-Nqakula is charged with 12 counts of corruption and one of money laundering. 

The charges relate to her time as defence minister, where she allegedly solicited and received kickbacks amounting to R4.5 million from a defence contractor.

The corruption case against Mapisa-Nqakula has moved one step closer to trial.

The former African National Congress (ANC) politician has maintained her innocence, saying the State’s case against her is weak.

During the early stages of the case, the State said it was closing in on a second suspect before ultimately deciding against charging the unknown person.

The indictment sheet shows the State will be counting on at least 26 witnesses to prove its case against Mapisa-Nqakula.

Wednesday’s appearance is expected to be short, as the State and defence will be engaging in pretrial processes.