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The Gauteng High Court in Pretoria has authorised a warrant for Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula after she failed to appear in court on Friday.
The warrant will be held until her scheduled appearance on November 11.
Mapisa-Nqakula’s testimony was cut short on Tuesday when she fell ill while on the stand. Although she was scheduled to resume testifying on Friday, she failed to appear in court.
Defence counsel Siyabulela Mapoma presented a medical certificate on her behalf and requested a postponement. The state acknowledged receipt of the medical report and did not oppose the application.
The trial has been postponed to November 11-20, with a second session set for November 30 to December 4.
Mapisa-Nqakula faces 12 counts of corruption and one count of money laundering linked to her tenure as defence minister between 2016 and 2019. She is accused of soliciting R4.5m in bribes, R2.1m of which was allegedly paid in cash from South African National Defence Force (SANDF) logistics contractor Nombasa Ntsondwa-Ndhlovu to secure and maintain government tenders.
Mapisa-Nqakula has denied all charges.
TimesLIVE
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