Witness in Mapisa-Nqakula trial miscarried twins, court hears

Businesswoman Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu complained that controversy over her defence contracts led to her losing her unborn twins.

This is according to Joy Peter, former spokesperson for former defence and military veterans minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula.

Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu is the state’s key witness in Mapisa-Nqakula’s corruption and money laundering trial. 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.

Mapisa-Nqakula has pleaded not guilty.

Testifying before the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Thursday, Peter detailed her relationship with both the former minister and Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu.

She said she considered Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu a personal friend due to their shared calling as traditional healers (sangomas).

Peter said she was introduced to Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu by the late Sam Gulube, who served as secretary for defence during Mapisa-Nqakula’s tenure.

In 2019, Gulube alerted Peter to an impending Sunday Times article about Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu and instructed her to assist in trying to water down the story before publication. The article revealed she and her army boss spouse were under investigation by military police over R210m in defence contracts.

After a meeting at the Mike’s Kitchen restaurant in Parktown, Johannesburg, to address the report, Peter and Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu grew closer.

While Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu did not provide specific details of the alleged mistreatment, she accused departmental leadership of throwing her under the bus

Later, Peter helped Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu secure a television interview with eNCA to voice grievances regarding her treatment by the SANDF, stating she helped her purely out of sisterhood.

During that period, Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu confided in Peter that “mistreatment” by the department of defence had frustrated her deeply and claimed this had resulted in the miscarriage of her twins.

While Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu did not provide specific details of the alleged mistreatment, she accused departmental leadership of throwing her under the bus. At the time, she did not directly name Mapisa-Nqakula in her grievances, other than expressing disappointment that the minister had failed to offer support.

Peter testified that during the eNCA interview, Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu made unexpected and incriminating allegations against the department’s procurement practices, which left Peter feeling uncomfortable.

Peter stated she was unaware of Mapisa-Nqakula’s immediate reaction to the broadcast because they never discussed Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu and noted that Gulube showed no concern.

Though shocked by the televised claims, Peter took no official action, focusing instead on offering personal emotional support to Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu after her miscarriage.

Peter confirmed that while she discussed Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu’s concerns with Gulube, she never raised them directly with Mapisa-Nqakula.

She said that despite her overall loyalty to the department, she was unaware of internal feuds and saw no reason to shield the SANDF, maintaining that her bond with Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu was personal and spiritual.

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