Advocate Siyabulela Mapoma SC, the defence counsel for former defence and military veterans minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, has challenged the testimony of former SANDF deputy surgeon-general Noel Ndhlovu.
Ndhlovu testified in the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Tuesday, where he faced intense cross-examination regarding his knowledge of his wife’s business dealings.
Mapoma disputed Ndhlovu’s claim that he never shared work-related matters with his wife, Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu, who held several military contracts.
Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu is the state’s key witness in the corruption and money laundering case against Mapisa-Nqakula. She alleges that between 2016 and 2019, Mapisa-Nqakula solicited and accepted millions of rand in bribes from her to secure and protect lucrative defence logistics contracts.
On Monday Ndhlovu testified that he and his wife never shared work-related matters and maintained a “Chinese wall” regarding work matters.
Asked if this wall held during the period of the alleged bribes, Ndhlovu insisted it did.
Ndhlovu defended himself by claiming the shared documents were public record and that he was merely sharing personal, work-related frustrations rather than compromising national security
The court previously reviewed WhatsApp messages sent by Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu to Mapisa-Nqakula. In a March 2019 text, Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu shared an official SANDF document regarding eight overpaid pharmacists, noting that her husband was “afraid”.
Ndhlovu conceded in court that he had given these official documents to his wife after she asked for them, adding that they formed part of his affidavit in that case. Ndhlovu also admitted his wife accompanied him to legal consultations for his work-related court cases.
Furthermore, WhatsApp evidence revealed Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu told Mapisa-Nqakula that her husband was “losing his mind” over a document of a two-year contract extension of former surgeon-general Lt-Gen Aubrey Sedibe. Under pressure, Ndhlovu admitted he had complained to his wife about the situation.
Mapoma argued these admissions proved no “Chinese wall” existed. Ndhlovu defended himself by claiming the shared documents were public record and that he was merely sharing personal, work-related frustrations rather than compromising national security.
Mapoma continued to highlight several contradictions between the couple’s accounts. Regarding their relationship timeline, Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu previously testified they met in 2015, while Ndhlovu countered that they met in 2014 and only began dating in 2015.
Further discrepancies emerged surrounding an alleged 2017 armed robbery in Spruitview, where Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu was robbed while on her way to deliver R200,000 in bribe money to Mapisa-Nqakula.
When Mapoma questioned whether Ndhlovu’s memory was fading, Ndhlovu denied suffering from memory loss, though he acknowledged that aging makes it harder to recall certain details
Ndhlovu testified he rushed to the scene after receiving a call from his wife’s ex-husband. However, his wife’s brother testified she called Ndhlovu using a street vendor’s phone, while Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu herself claimed she called him using her iPad.
When pressed on which version was true, Ndhlovu insisted his account was the most accurate because the detail about the ex-husband calling was easy to remember.
Ndhlovu testified that after the robbery, he drove his wife to Mapisa-Nqakula’s house so she could deliver the money, though he claimed he only learnt the purpose of the trip months later. He stated he first became aware of the bribe payments in 2019.
This directly contradicts Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu’s previous testimony that she told him about the cash during their drive home from Mapisa-Nqakula’s house in 2017.
Ndhlovu suggested that either he or his wife made a mistake with the dates, though he could not say who was wrong and maintained his version was true. When Mapoma questioned whether Ndhlovu’s memory was fading, Ndhlovu denied suffering from memory loss, though he acknowledged that aging makes it harder to recall certain details.
Ndhlovu concluded his testimony on Tuesday, with the defence asserting clear discrepancies.
TimesLIVE
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