Mapisa-Nqakula Testifies Over Unpaid Renovation Debt
The former defence minister told the Gauteng High Court she still owes an interior designer R200,000 for home renovations.
Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Financial Crime
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Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, who faces 12 counts of corruption and one count of money-laundering over her tenure as defence minister between 2016 and 2019, testified before the Gauteng High Court that she has not paid interior designer Nomsa Shabangu the R200,000 balance for home renovations. Mapisa-Nqakula has denied all charges.
Why it matters
The testimony places the alleged financing of a home renovation at the centre of a corruption case against a former senior official. State prosecutors allege she solicited R4.5m in bribes, a claim that remains untested in court.
Mapisa-Nqakula is on trial on 12 counts of corruption and one count of money-laundering, and has denied all charges. Her testimony on Wednesday concerned the unpaid balance owed to Shabangu, while the state's case on the alleged bribes continues.
The players
Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula
A former South African defence minister who served from 2016 to 2019 and is on trial on corruption and money-laundering charges she denies.
The details
Mapisa-Nqakula told the court she received her pension payout in 2024, which she said had been exhausted covering her legal defence, and that her last payment to Shabangu was made in 2021 or 2022. The state presented bank statements showing her account was overdrawn by just over R6,000 between 4 and 9 April 2019, and architectural draftsman Azwindini Mulaudzi, quoted about R69,000, said he received a R20,000 cash deposit through Shabangu and a further R50,000 in cash directly from the Nqakulas, and was never paid for additional work on revised plans.
Timeline
2016 to 2019: Period of Mapisa-Nqakula's tenure as defence minister under investigation.
2018 to 2020: Home renovations took place in Bruma.
4 to 9 April 2019: Bank account overdrawn by just over R6,000.
2021 or 2022: Last payment made to Shabangu.
Legal Context
The case extends the prosecutions that followed the Zondo Commission's inquiry into state capture, which examined alleged corruption across public institutions. It adds to a pattern in which former senior officials face criminal trials over conduct during their tenure.
The trial's outcome will determine whether allegations of public-sector bribery lead to convictions, shaping how corruption cases against officials are handled. Residents following public accountability can track the proceedings through court reporting as testimony continues.
The takeaway
Allegations against public officials are tested through sworn testimony and documentary evidence, and the court's findings, not the claims themselves, will determine the outcome. Readers should weigh the state's allegations against the defence's denials as the trial proceeds.
Further reading
Follow related coverage in Financial Crime for other cases involving alleged misuse of public funds.
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